Choosing Revenge
by ksyk
Summary: Sasuke's leaving obviously affected everyone in their own way. What he didn't expect was for one person to follow the same path. He wants revenge against his brother? She wants revenge against him. SasukexOCxItachi - Rated M for mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

It started at the hideout, where the bomb caused a good portion of the dark halls to be crumbled down and become exposed to the sunlight. The stunned faces of Naruto and Sakura caused a chuckle from behind. Sasuke looked up to the source of the sound. The wind passed through the large fields of grass and the long black cloak with a noticeable red cloud pattern on the person who stood above them. Sasuke took a subtle grip to his sword as he stared down who he suspected to be his older brother; a man who was a part of the criminal group: Akatsuki.

The figure stood on the opposite side of the exploded circle from him, standing still and silent. This person took off their rice hat, allowing their lengthy grey ponytail, which went past their waist, to be revealed, and unzipped the dark coat to uncover a petite body in a short black dress, accompanied with the usual shinobi equipment such as bandages and a weapon bag.

It wasn't Itachi. It was her. It was the other missing member.

Nerine.

"Nerine!" Naruto gasped.

"I'm glad to be acknowledged at least, after standing here for quite a while," She murmured, letting her lips fall on a slant; a tiny smirk teased her former allies. "I'm just hurt that you noticed Sasuke before me."

She turned her unblinking eyes towards the tall and brooding man. Narine didn't say anything; she only stared. Staring for what seemed like hours, Sasuke finally made a move. He vanished from his original place to beside Nerine. He had his sword against her neck and he forced it hard.

"What do you want me to say?" Nerine asked, ignoring the spectators, the unoriginal squad seven, below.

Sasuke's eyes glared at her intensely. He still held onto the katana tightly as he half spoke,"...Why?"

"Why?" She repeated, "You, of all people, want to know why I left my home, my allies and my life?" He saw where she was going with this. She scoffed. "And also..."

Sasuke felt tense.

"Your brother has taken me."

* * *

A pair of eyes opened and sudden blindness consumed its sight. Sasuke sat up, tossed his bed sheet duvet to the side and grunted. He was pissed. This was not the first time he had a dream containing Nerine. He'd say it was the fifth one within 30 days.

But why now, of all times? Is it because he was perhaps getting closer to his goal of killing Itachi?

"Why is she always wearing that cloak...?" Sasuke whispered as he grabbed his hair in frustration. Maybe these were dreams of truth. Maybe Nerine did join the Akatsuki shortly after his leaving from Konoha. Maybe she did do intimate things with the person he hated the most.

Sasuke wanted to see if this was true, but he wasn't going to let his curiosity get the best of him.

"I have better things to do than to think about a girl I haven't seen in more than two years," Sasuke said as he stood up from his bed. "She isn't important to me."

* * *

"Nerine!" A cheerful voice called out.

A small girl turned 180 degrees to face her smiling friend. "Sakura?" She said.

"You'll never guess who just came back!" Sakura was giddy with joy as she squealed this.

Before Nerine could say anything, the pink haired girl dragged her across the streets of Konoha until they stopped at an overwhelmingly tall telegraph pole. The two young girls faced towards the sky and despite the sunrays that stung their eyes, they could easily make out the figure.

"...Naruto..." was the one word that escaped Nerine's diminutive lips.

The gleaming boy looked down upon them all, and jumped to their level. "Sakura, Nerine! You two don't look different at all!"

Sakura was annoyed at this statement, thus commenced the beating of Naruto. He was still pretty dense, despite his physical maturity. Nerine was touched when seeing her friends bicker. It was a long time since they were all together... but in this case, it was almost.

Nerine didn't think things would be the same again after Sasuke's leaving.

* * *

**Nerine**

I dreamt of him again. In my dream, he was colder than ever and couldn't care less about me or my feelings. Two years ago, Sasuke was very important to me, but now he's gone.

I miss him. I hate him for that.

He left without a word; not even informing me. Sasuke said goodbye to Sakura though. He probably favoured her more than me. I still remember the morning I heard about his disappearance. I was upset, depressed, in denial... but most of all I was angry. Why couldn't he say goodbye to me? Am I not worth one simple farewell? Not even a subtle wave? Sasuke wasted my time. Two years of slowly getting attached to someone... gone.

I opened my eyes. It was dark. I sat up and exhaled.

3:24am.

Closing my eyes again as I listened to the solemn breezes pass through the trees outside my window, I felt useless. I was no special shinobi. I didn't have any particular specialty like my friends did. Even if I did, would that be enough to reach Sasuke?

No.

I don't want him back.

I want him to feel the gut wrenching pain, his heart sinking deep into his chest, his eyes burning from the developing tears that I felt. I want him to feel worse than when his entire clan was massacred. He was always a fucking jerk to everyone. It should be time where he gets a taste of his own medicine.

I opened my eyes once more after thinking all of this. My fists clenched into my bed sheets and I cringed. I lifted my head and before I could muster a frightened gasp, a hand covered my mouth roughly and someone straddled me, forcing me to lie back down on my bed. I was far too stunned to fight back.

_Akatsuki..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Nerine**

I can remember two things:

Long blonde hair that was half tied back. It fell over this person's shoulder as he leaned over my tiny frame, and Onyx hair tied back and hidden within this person's cloak. Half of his face was covered by his collar, yet I could recognise those eyes... anywhere.

The blonde boy that still straddled me tightly smirked, as I trembled in fear. "Easy now, girl," He said, treating me like a horse. "I won't hurt you."

The black haired man kneeled down beside my bed and his stare was never changing.

"Nerine," He murmured. His voice was mature and deep. It was attractive in its own way, but there was this dripping sense of evil and torture that made me want to stay as far away from him.

I wanted to cry. This person was the one that Sasuke wanted dead for the past eight years.

"I-ta-chi..." I struggled to say his name as the blonde boy's hand was still tightly clenched over my face. Tears began to develop from the back of my eyes.

Why couldn't I do anything to stop them? I could have easily screamed my heart out to try and wake up my brother, who was in the next room. So why didn't I? It was curiosity.

"I'm not surprised you're not trying to pick a fight with us," Itachi mumbled as he leaned in closer. "I won't waste your time as it's almost morning. The reason why you don't fight is because of Sasuke, right?"

He gave a look to the blonde man. He gave a loud, "Tch" and released his grip off me, getting off my body and standing to the side of the bed. I sat up and stayed to the far end of the bed, away from the two mysterious men in my room. Itachi stood up.

"Why are you here?" I clenched the bed sheets as I asked this.

"It's simple," Itachi answered, starting to explain. "I want you to be our informant on Naruto Uzumaki before we attack."

My eyes widened. "Why... Why would I want to do something like that!"

"If you do, the leader of the Akatsuki will overlook you and your abilities and allow you to become a part of the Akatsuki."

"I don't want to be a part of your horrible group of criminals."

"Think about this, Nerine," He took a step forward, now up to the point where he was bent forward over my entire body. His arm touched the window sill behind me and his face was so close, his coat's collar brushed the sides of my hair. "Our little Sasuke wants nothing more than to avenge the clan by killing me. He can only ever find me if he is at the Akatsuki base."

I scoffed lightly at the subject of Sasuke. "Are you implying that I would be so willing to come along just so that I can see a man that I hate?"

Itachi smirked. "Of course."

I didn't expect this. "But I hate him."

"Don't you want your piece of revenge too?"

I froze. He continued to murmur dark thoughts into my ear. "Don't you want to see his face in pain when he realises that you have come to join me? Don't you think he would be heart broken over the fact that his dear Nerine has turned against him? Furthermore..."

Itachi looked into my eyes. "...involved with his enemy, perhaps?"

I breathed out as I stared into the dark abyss that was his eyes. I blinked, escaping the trance he put me in. "Do not seduce me."

"Hurry up, Itachi," The blonde man said as he was impatient.

"Deidara," Itachi said this in a way to tell him to shut up. Deidara, I assumed his name to be, did shut up.

Itachi sighed. Looking back at me, he said, "I'm not planning on forcing you into doing anything. I can trust you enough to not tell anybody about this encounter of ours, especially to your brother. I'll give you 72 hours to think about this, Nerine. All you have to do is continuously give us information about Naruto's progress in training and you'll be able to take your revenge on Sasuke soon."

I began, "But-"

Then they vanished before I could say anything else. My heart was racing. This was a dream right? I swear I couldn't move for at least another twenty minutes. I stood up and the first thing I wanted to do... was to be with my brother.

I knocked on his door out in the hallway and got no reply. He must've been sleeping. I opened it quietly and saw that my guess was correct. I tried my best not to let the floorboards creak as I kneeled next to his bed.

I whispered, "...Kakashi?"

He awoke.

"Nerine?" He murmured as the covers hid his masked face. "What's wrong?"

"Um... I had a bad dream," I half-smiled.

He chucked even though he was drowsy from waking up. "You're already 15 and you still want to sleep in my bed."

Without hesitation, I placed myself into his bed and kept close to him. "Kakashi?"

"Hm?" He obviously wanted me to stop bugging him so he could get some more hours of sleep.

"What would you do if I weren't here anymore?" I asked.

He opened his right eye and stared at me. "Why?"

"Uh, just this thing in my dream... I want to know how you'd react," I thought quickly of a non-suspicious answer.

"Well..." Kakashi thought about it for a bit. "It depends on what reasons you stand if you were gone. If someone took you away, I would go through as many means as I can to bring you back. If it was your choice..."

I looked up at him as I waited for him to finish his sentence.

"...It would hurt me so much."


	3. Chapter 3

**Nerine**

"Mission?" Sakura seemed bewildered and excited at the same time.

Naruto didn't give a damn about what he had to worry about. He was just plain excited to get out of the village again and go back to doing ninja missions. "Alright! What are we doing!"

"Team Kakashi will be going to the Sand Village for their support..." Tsunade explained as a stern look wiped across her face.

"Why do they need support...?" Sakura asked.

"The kazekage..." Tsunade mumbled, "Has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki."

I could feel it immediately in the air as soon as we were given this information. We were shocked, stunned, afraid, angry... and in the corner of my eye, I could see Naruto's fist gripping tighter by the second. He must've been the most upset in the room.

...Although my heart was beating so fast at the mention of the organization; Akatsuki. Was this their plan?

* * *

It had been a long while until we reached the Sand Village; it had taken us about 3 days to travel. When we did get there, Sakura had already buckled down to work and began to take poison out of Kankuro. The poison was from a battle he had with an Akatsuki member... I worried even more.

That night we were all in our guest rooms. Kakashi and Naruto slept in one room, Sakura and I in the other. As Sakura slept soundly, I was sitting quietly in my bed, again... thinking about Sasuke. I felt like I regretted ever starting anything with him, ever socialising with him, ever getting close with him. He should've just flirted with Sakura instead.

If I knew that I was going to be this hurt over such a stupid thing... I would've stopped everything from the beginning. Now I can't do that because the past has been done. The best thing I can do... is making Sasuke regret ever leaving me with nothing.

Now that I think about it, I really seem to have become some crazy ex-girlfriend. Still, crazy or not... I'm not going to just let him do whatever the hell he wants with no consequences.

I sighed, and buried my head into my folded arms and hugged my knees. _'I shouldn't let my feelings overtake my logic... It'll ruin me.'_

"There's no need to be upset," A whisper came to my ear.

My head jumped up and I almost screamed when I saw Itachi beside me on my bed. This time, he was accompanied by another man; a different man. He was freakishly tall and carried a bandaged weapon with him. His skin was blue and so was his hair. This man's eyes were also very... piercing.

"What do you want? You'll wake up Sakura," I murmured, glancing over at my pink haired friend.

"Have you made your decision?" Itachi bluntly said.

"I shouldn't have been given a decision like this," I mumbled under my breath.

"The reason I recommended you is because any normal shinobi would tell someone immediately of our motives. Any normal shinobi would say no to our request straight away."

"...So what?"

"You're no normal shinobi, am I right?"

I didn't answer.

"I am very sure that you have not told your brother or any of your comrades of our visit, because there's a part of yourself that wants to join us."

Then I gulped. "I have absolutely no reason to join you criminals."

He shook his head, a light smirk coming across his face. "Must I remind you who you are after the most right now? Don't you want to get your hands on Sasuke Uchiha? Surely you wouldn't just let him leave with no consequences."

"...I..."

"So you do."

I shook my head, "N-No, get away from me."

"There's no doubt that you have potential of being a good asset to the Akatsuki. We're not just willing to take you in because of your relation to Naruto Uzumaki. You possess some strong abilities that can be a great use to our organization."

"My abilities are nothing but average," I denied.

"Being able to harness and control the element of lightning is in itself... quite impressive, considering you're from a village that doesn't teach you about using lightning as a weapon."

Maybe they were just feeding me compliments in order to get me to go with him. I glanced at the tall and still man who stood a metre away, and then back at Itachi.

Itachi exhaled quietly, sounding impatient. "These leaf shinobi have been on the search for my Sasuke for a good three years now. I can guarantee you that if you join us, you'll be able to fin and destroy him within five months, if you put your effort into it."

_No... I'm stronger than this... I'm being so tempted for such a selfish thing..._

"I know you may not be able to remember every weakness and information on the jinchuuriki immediately but if you return to our hideout willingly we will cast a jutsu on your mind to revive all of your memories on—"

"But there is no way I can trust you."

"The only real question you should be asking yourself is, would you rather choose to stay with them, people with no leads and clues, or us, the people who have information that'll bring you closer to getting your payback on Sasuke?"

I did not want to give Itachi an answer, even if I knew what I wanted. Even so, Itachi retraced and stood beside his ever silent partner.

"When you all eventually come to our hideout to find the shukaku, you'll join us," Itachi explained in an unemotional voice. "I'm aware you'll be faced with some of our members. They'll take you in then. You don't even have to protest, Nerine. If you didn't want this you would've given us more of a fight."

I closed my eyes and sighed. I heard a different voice. "Also... remember to release the genjutsu on your friend over there." It must've been the taller Akatsuki member.

I began, "But I can't do thi—"

Yet again, they'd vanished without even letting me finish my sentence. I looked over at Sakura and knelt beside her. I took a long moment before I held a hand sign and whispered, "Release."

Sakura stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "Ne-Nerine...? What's wrong?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I... You're very pretty."

"Eh?" Her eyes were surprised.

"I'm going to go talk to my brother, so don't be alarmed if I'm gone," I nodded as I hastily made my way outside and down the hallway to the boys' bedroom. I knocked lightly in case they were asleep. The door opened anyway and my brother looked grumpy. I'd woken him up. I glanced at the clock in his room. It was almost 2am.

"Uh..." Kakashi yawned. "Nerine? It's so early..."

"Kakashi..." I pushed the door out of my way and shoved myself into his arms.

"Wah—?" He was taken aback. I didn't want to admit anything to him. I felt like... "Another nightmare?" He murmured.

I shook my head in his chest. "I miss you."

"You're being awfully corny... and attached," He commented. "Did something happen that I don't know about?"

I refrained myself from giving him an explanation and instead asked, "I know we are on a mission and all... but... is it okay if I sleep in your bed again? ...I promise this will be the last time."

"The others are going to think it's weird that we're this close..." I held onto his shirt. "But okay."

That night I held on tighter to my older brother than I ever had before. Tighter than when our father died, tighter than when our mother died, just tighter than I felt. To be completely honest I did fall asleep with tears in my eyes but I wanted to hide it from Kakashi, so I only brought my face so close to his chest that I couldn't breathe proper air. I don't know if he could tell that I was upset; all I know was that when I gripped onto him, his arms seemed to protect me from the trouble I was about to face.

* * *

And there we were, finally at the Akatsuki's supposed hideout. It had taken us a lot of preparation, but we'd made it. Team Gai was there to support us in our mission and they'd gone off to rip off the four tags that kept the entrance sealed. It was all such a cautious measure to keep out infiltrations, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

As we waited for the four members to find their assorted tags, Kakashi was making his way up the boulder. Before he did, I tugged on his sleeve. He looked back at me and said, "You have something cheesy to say again?" His eyebrow rose. He must've been referring to my 'I miss you' from the night before.

I gave a small smile. "Thank you for everything you've given me. Sakura and Naruto too," I looked at them and passed on my smile. "You've given me memories I can't forget. Naruto..."

His face was filled with confusion and curiosity. I chuckled lightly in an effort to hide my true feelings. "We're going to find Sasuke one day."

Naruto suddenly gave me a determined grin. "Yeah, we will."

"Nerine... where's this all coming from?" Sakura questioned. "It almost sounds like some sort of farewell speech..."

I laughed again.

It took another matter of time until Sakura had used her sheer strength to break down the gigantic boulder entrance. We all jumped in and all I could hear from that point on was the heartbeat from my chest travel and amplify itself in my ears.

Two men, the blonde man was easily recognisable, Deidara, and a... well I'm not very sure what he was. The cloak covered his body and his posture was nothing close to natural... and they sat on top of none other than unmoving Kazekage, Gaara.

"Ah... took you long enough," Deidara kept a cheeky smirk on as he said this. His eyes looked over at Naruto, who was overwhelmed with anger. "That must be the jinchuuriki."

His friend beside him commented, "The first one to get furious and attack..."

Then their eyes fell on me. "...Then this must be her..."

It almost felt like my heart had stopped beating. I blinked; in one moment, Deidara was sitting on a frail body and the next, his arm was around my shoulders.

"Nerine! Look out!" Kakashi yelled as he jumped to my aid.

I felt like it was all too late. Deidara had taken us to the other side of the cave, where his comrade and dead body waited.

"What...?" My brother held onto his kunai tightly. "Let go of her!"

"Listen here copycat," Deidara's arm slinked further down on me. "We'll be taking your beloved little sister here now."

"Nerine! What the hell does this mean!" Naruto screamed.

I cringed. I didn't want to look at any of them... I didn't want them to see how ashamed I was...

"...Nerine...?" Kakashi seemed to almost let his guard down as he saw me so close to these strangers.

"I guess I really am I selfish person after all..." I smiled and now I could not help but cry. "I'm sorry, Kakashi."

Deidara chucked, "Rule number one of being an Akatsuki member: don't regret, don't apologise."


	4. Chapter 4

"Akatsuki member?" Sakura echoed.

Kakashi glared at his younger sister. "Nerine, don't you dare tell me..."

She felt her eyes heat up from tears developing, but then regained her composure once Deidara squeezed her shoulder. Whether it was to tell her to get it together, or a small gesture of support, she didn't know.

"I figure this is the easiest way for me to achieve my new goals," Nerine answered. "Being a shinobi from Konoha is good but it won't get me anywhere. I'll always be pushed aside because I am not important... The Akatsuki however, deem this statement to be false. Call me stupid, but I believe them."

Deidara smirked. "Look at the nine-tails over there. He's really getting furious now, ain't he?"

Nerine looked over at her good friend. She did feel a bit of terror once looking in his red eyes, but she did not let herself get phased.

"...Nerine..." Naruto growled. "You said we'd find Sasuke! Together, right!"

She shook her head. "We'll find him. I've decided to take a different route, even if that means, betraying you."

"What the hell, Nerine!" Naruto screamed.

"Alrighty, that's enough chit chat," Deidara announced. He then whispered, "Nerine, you'll be able to find our leader if you look around closely. Just go to the darkest part of the cave. Have fun, yeah."

"Eh?" It was too late for Nerine to ask questions, she was already shoved by Deidara into walking down into the darkness.

"Nerine!" Kakashi yelled. He began to run towards his sister, but he noticed Naruto's chakra increase. He had to attend to Naruto's behaviour before he could grab Nerine. She turned around and looked at him one more time.

She gave him a sad wave and then she made her journey into the darkness.

She hadn't realised how huge the cave was. It seemed unlikely that someone would be able to hide in the cave no matter how dark it was. Wouldn't Kakashi at least be able to sense their chakra? Then, someone grabbed her arm. She yelped, but her mouth was covered before she could really make a loud noise.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Nerine," a deep voice from behind her spoke. His hands came up to her eyes and covered them tightly. "Please come with me. I don't completely trust you yet so I'm going to keep your vision limited when we're travelling to places. You can understand that, right?"

Nerine gulped and didn't say anything.

It took a few minutes, as Nerine counted in her head, until they stopped and she was sat down. The man uncovered her eyes and she was now able to observe her surroundings. First off, she looked at the person who brought her there in the first place. He was tall, had orange-red hair and far too many piercings on his face to her likings. Despite this, he owned eyes that really did seem to seethe out authority. This was definitely the leader of Akatsuki.

Then, she looked at where she was. This room was very secluded. It was basically empty except from what she sat on. She sat on a wooden chair, and the only lighting that was given was from several dim candles. This leader stood in front of her and said, "You should be thankful that Itachi has given you this opportunity... I'll begin to gain information out of you. I'll warn you that this'll surprise you, but don't take any intended harm from it."

He began to do numerous hand signs, and he mumbled, "Mental barricades."

Nerine gasped, her eyes getting wide. She was in a whole different world, but in reality, she had blacked out. This lasted a good while, until the leader deemed to have enough information. Once he finished, Nerine felt life breathe into her again, and she gripped onto her chair.

"What..." She murmured.

"It seems you knew more about the nine-tails than you thought. You must've had a very close childhood with him." The leader released his hand sign as he spoke to her. "Now... you're probably wondering what's going to happen to you now, am I correct?"

"Uh..." She spaced out.

"You're going to need more focus than that to be in Akatsuki." He sighed. "Call me Leader. I'm sure you'll need no explanation for that. We'll be heading up to the Hidden Rain, where our main base is. I hope you're ready for a long journey."

"I..." She began. She breathed lightly and made her firm and final decision. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Damn it," He growled as he sat up from his bed.

Sasuke's dreams were recurring to such a noticeable extent. It was driving him crazy. It made him mad. Sasuke clearly did not want this to disturb him from his real goal of destroying his brother. He hit his clenched fist against the hard stone wall beside him, and made very obvious damage. After sitting in his bed for a few silent minutes, he stood up and walked over to the empty desk in his room. Opening the drawer, he hesitated to take out a small photo frame.

What was in the frame? Of course, the memorable group photo of team seven. Sasuke did bring it with him and kept it all these years. It was something he was honestly ashamed of. He did not bring it for the reason of keeping a piece of his old life for comfort. It was a stupid and childish motive. It was simply to see Nerine's silly face in the photograph.

The day the photo was being taken, Sakura was giddy with joy to have a photo taken with Sasuke. Naruto was the exact opposite. Nerine was spacing out as she usually did during her childhood. When she did come to reality, she assisted her brother in separating Naruto and Sasuke from fighting. She was always by her brother's side. Sasuke would've rather had that than what he has now with his own sibling. By the time the photographer was ready, everyone had posed, each having their personality show through their posture.

Sasuke was being Sasuke, looking away from the camera in a brooding manner, not even showing any positive feelings. Naruto was busy giving all his might into glaring at his rival, hating his guts right there and then. Sakura was quite oblivious to the two unhappy boys and grinned at the camera, only focusing on the fact that she was there with her long-time crush and how good looking she'd turn out. Kakashi was nervously holding Naruto and Sasuke by the heads, forcing a smile (or what you could see of it through his mask). Lastly, Nerine... Well Nerine is what made the photo so funny.

The poor girl wasn't focusing on the photo taking that once the old man said, "Smile!" She blinked, and the flash went off. Once the photo was developed she cringed when she realised that her eyes were half open, making her look almost intoxicated under some drug or another. You really could see the whites of her eyes, and only a small part of her irises. Her mouth was agape, making her look even more amusing.

Sasuke brought his mind back into his body and tightened his grip on this old object of remembrance.

"Bonds..." He murmured to himself, "...are nothing but a burden."

He always reminded himself of why he was there now, why he turned to the criminal world of the shinobi. Keeping hold of old ties will do nothing but hold him back from becoming stronger.

To Sasuke, this is why he found it easy to let go of people like Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto and all the others back in the Hidden Leaf.

However it was very difficult to let go of someone who'd given him experiences he'd never had.


	5. Chapter 5

"...Another D-rank mission? Come on Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined.

The twelve year old boy complained so much about not getting enough action that it almost seemed like he enjoyed being problematic to others. Team 7 was sent to do, as said, another D-rank mission. This time, they had the 'honour' of picking out all the weeds out of a woman's home. Then, they had to clean up the litter in Konoha. Another was to take many... _many_ dogs on their walks.

By the time they were done, they all went their separate ways, taking care of their own errands. Sakura went off to help her parents, or maybe to taunt Ino that she was off duty now, while she worked at the local florist. Naruto's next destination was pretty obvious, seeing as he was singing to himself, "Ichiraku ramen~ Ichiraku ramen!" Kakashi had already transported himself somewhere unknown, most likely to 'enjoy' his adult novel by himself. Sasuke was morbid, broody and had a very negative aura. He decided to train since he had nothing else to do.

"Sasuke?" Nerine's voice timidly said.

He turned around. He didn't realise that she was the last one to leave, or rather; he didn't notice that she was there. Those thoughts made him feel a little guilty. "Huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you off to now?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I'm going to train. See you."

Sasuke really had no interest in this girl, or any girl to be exact. He didn't have time to mess around with the many girls that swooned over him. He had one goal to complete, and then once it was done, maybe he'd consider other things. He walked away from Nerine, taking himself to the training grounds. He didn't bother waving at her or anything either. There was no point, right?

* * *

**Sasuke**

Team 7 had finished their D-rank missions at around 3pm. It was now 7pm, and I still did my best to perfect the numbers of jutsu I had in me, perfect my aim and increase my strength. Sure, I wasn't enjoying myself then, but I'd be happy once my brother was dead by my feet. My childhood was ruined the day my family was massacred anyway so it didn't make a difference.

Although I couldn't catch my breath then. I guess I really did push myself today. My knees dropped and I leaned up against a tree.

"Damn it..." I cursed as I took off my forehead protector. I wiped my forehead with my arm warmers. It was a bad idea to be pushing it during summer. I began to take off my arm warmers and shirt. Damn, I could feel the mosquitoes and flies surrounding me because of the heat. That wasn't good. I must've looked like I hadn't showered for days with the amount of insects near me.

I cringed as I stood up and fanned myself with my shirt. I wiped my face, and then threw my clothes over my shoulder. Then something else touched me. I flinched and turned quickly, putting my guard up 110%.

It was Nerine.

"What... do you want?" I grunted, getting annoyed with having to put my guard up for nothing.

Her eyes were wide with surprise, as if she didn't know what she was doing there either. "Oh... well I know you told me you were training so I came to see if you needed some food. I have water if you need it."

I gave her a long and hard stare. "Why?"

"...I like you?" She shrugged.

Nerine handed me the plastic bag she held, and inside was a bottle of water with a small box, I assumed to be filled with food. Home-made or not, I was hungry nonetheless.

Wait...

"Huh?" It was like a battle. Something hit me, but this time, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to dodge and hit back, or let the enemy keep hitting me. Okay, that was a really bad comparison, but I made sense.

Nerine tilted her head and thought about what she just told me. "Well... I like you, Sasuke."

I scrunched up my nose and stared at her some more. "What, like as a friend?"

She chuckled, "Yes as a friend, but more than that too."

"Don't be irrational, Nerine." I furrowed my eyebrows.

This was weird. I knew I had a lot of girls trailing after me but they were never _this_ straightforward about it. A few girls were brave enough to confess of course, but they always ended up blushing in fright before I'd reply to them. They all knew my answer anyway. Nerine... she's confessing... but she didn't seem scared at all.

"What there to be irrational about? Don't you get a lot of girls telling you how they feel about you?" She asked. "Isn't this normal?"

"You're not reacting like a girl who likes me," I pointed out.

"I'm very sure I like you," Nerine smiled. "My heart beats faster when I think about you and when I'm out doing missions with you all I'd really like to do is being in your arms. Those are romantic feelings, right?"

"But you're not even blushing or embarrassed. How are you so at ease about this?" She became weirder to me as she continued to explain herself to me.

Nerine played with her hair, and pulled it over her shoulder. "Well this is my first time supposedly confessing so..."

"You haven't liked any other boys," I closed my eyes. "You're joking."

"I haven't had the time to focus on boys when I can always be there for my brother," She laughed. "Kakashi always needs someone to give him a better meal than 2 minute instant noodles. He's always too busy reading those disgusting novels of his." Then, she sighed. "I couldn't help but notice you because I see you very often with team 7. To be honest, Sasuke, I don't mind if you don't feel the same way. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel hurt or something if you don't, but all I know is..."

I waited for her to finish her sentence.

"...I'm happy just being around you."

Nerine really did have a nice smile. It was almost contagious, but I wouldn't let her get to me so easily. Nobody does anymore.

"Sorry. I'm not interested of anything of the sort. I don't have time to screw around with girls," I stopped myself before I finished that classic sentence with, _'like you'_. This was basic sentence, more or less, that I said to the girls who have had their hearts 'broken' by me.

Nerine clapped her hands together, pulling me out of my trance. "Alright then! Since you have finished training... you have finished, right? Well you should quickly have this dinner before you go to bed."

"You're not bothered by me rejecting you?"

"Of course not," She shook her head. "Everyone has their own decisions to be made, and I respect them."

Damn, this girl is too kind for her own good. Maybe one day she'll be turning that loyalty elsewhere, and _then _she'll become a shinobi I'll acknowledge.

"You should really stop thinking about others and start thinking about yourself, because you won't progress with a limited attitude like that," I advised before I headed off home.

* * *

_Hey guys, it's ksyk! Thanks for reading the story so far. I know it isn't great but it would mean **so** much to me if you all reviewed (like you don't even know, man). It disappoints me that the story gets so many hits in a day and only a pinch of people write a review :c So yes, I hope this isn't boring you yet, and please support Choosing Revenge! _


	6. Chapter 6

**Nerine**

It had been a very long and silent journey to the village hidden in the rain, as leader had described. I hadn't spoken unless it was ever necessary, which only happened two times during our travel. The first was offering each other food and the second was saying 'okay' to him saying, 'we'll be resting here tonight.' I guess I was just glad he wasn't as terrifying as I'd expected the leader of the notorious Akatsuki to be. I found it strange that we'd left from an entire different place. I didn't see the hideout we broke into anywhere near.

It worried me. I worried about Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura... They weren't going to be killed by those Akatsuki members were they? ...But this was what I had chosen, and as Deidara said, I must no longer regret my actions.

As we entered the hidden rain village, I observed my surroundings. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. In Konoha, there were buildings that didn't loom over you, but here, it was crowding over me in such an intense way, I almost felt intimidated by them. They were just buildings, but to be introduced to such gigantic structures was very confronting.

When we arrived at the entrance of the hideout, leader gave me a quick glance.

"I'll warn you now; the other members are not as hospitable as most. The best way you can deal with it is to let them be rude, and don't allow them to think you are submissive." He told me.

After performing numerous hand signs and placing his hand on the door, he asked me to place his hand next to his. Leader asked me to concentrate some of my chakra into the steel door. A few minutes passed and he said for me to let go. He stayed in this position for a little while longer, then he released.

"You'll be able to enter this place every time you place some chakra into the entrance," Leader explained. "Precautionary measures for intruders."

"Understood," I nodded as we entered. I was training my mentality to accept this man as my leader, and to change all thoughts of the good for this world. I had to remember why I was there in the first place. I had to remind Sasuke that he shouldn't have attached himself to others if he was going to rip the bonds in the end.

The hideout was more home-like than I expected. I thought it to be similar to the cave we broke into, but this place, although dark and had hardly any lighting, had those mandatory rooms for every living place, a kitchen, a dining and rumpus room, and several bedroom doors upstairs.

Not everything was as nicely set out as I described though. The walls and floors were made out of nothing but cold stone. It was a very clammy space, and the only lighting given was from about three candles from each room. I guess I had to get used to being in such a confined and gloomy place.

"We're going to have to room you with someone since we don't have many bedrooms," Leader spoke.

I counted the bedroom doors. There were only about five rooms, meaning there had to be at least two members in each room.

"Who with?" I asked.

He replied, "Just pick a room and that's where you'll be staying. There should be enough beds. I'll have your member essentials prepared soon."

I walked up the dark grey rock stairs and studied the five doors before me.

"Which one...?" I murmur to myself.

I picked a door and turned the knob. Peeking inside, I found three beds; a single bed and across the room, a bunk bed. The room didn't have any windows, only those beds and a desk in between. I had the feeling I was going to be bored for a very long time. I sat on the bed and thought for a long time.

Where were the other Akatsuki members? Maybe they were all out on missions or something. Training, perhaps. Do Akatsuki members actually train or...?

The door opened and there stood leader. He held a long onyx coat with the infamous red cloud pattern printed onto it. He tossed it to me and as I caught it, he said to me, "You're going to prove that you're truly a part of this organization. Prove that you're here to attain goals that require breaking the law. Then I'll give you a ring. Until that time comes, you're to stay in this hideout until you are given a mission by us."

* * *

I wondered who my roommate was during the following day. I went over to the kitchen and prepared what I could find in the refrigerator. For a disreputable criminal group, they sure didn't manage their food very well. I peered into the fridge and found nothing but a few vegetables, expired milk and in the freezer, one piece of pork. I had to ask leader if it was alright for me to buy some actual food for these people. How do they manage to be so strong on such a poor intake of nutrition?

The night before, I had acquainted myself with some members who were already staying at the hideout.

"Hoy, Nerine, you planning on making us all dinner tonight?" Hidan cackled as he stood at the doorway of the kitchen. "That's pretty fucking nice for someone who's just joined a 'most wanted' crew."

I sighed. "I may have somewhat joined the Akatsuki but that doesn't mean I can suddenly drop my maternal instincts."

"Maternal instincts?" Hidan echoed. "What a joke!"

"You wouldn't be saying that if your brother was a lazy pervert," I muttered under my breath. Of course, I loved my brother but sometimes he really did make it difficult to look after him.

"Who's this brother of yours?" He asked, raising a cocky eyebrow.

"Just be quiet and wait for your dinner to be ready," I shook my head. "You'll probably find out sooner or later anyway."

In the Akatsuki, you couldn't always be polite and expect people to give you the respect you want, especially with people like Hidan.

He laughed. "I have a feeling you'll make an entertaining asset to this place. I sure need a good laugh every now and then, anyway."

The front door opened and Hidan and I turned around, peeking outside the kitchen. It was Itachi and his partner. I still hadn't gotten a hold of his name yet.

Itachi looked past Hidan and stared at me straight in the eye. "I see you've settled yourself in."

"Yo, Uchiha." Hidan acknowledged. "Kisame."

So that was his name.

"Did... you get any news from the battle with my brother?" I cautiously asked.

"Although I was not there to observe the results, I know Sasori has been defeated," Itachi replied calmly. I still don't understand how he can be so composed when it comes to the death of his comrades. "And Deidara is MIA. Perhaps killed as well."

"I just hope Sasori didn't give any information to those bothersome leaf shinobi. He still has that spy that works under that arrogant Orochimaru, doesn't he? You know how freaked out they are over him." Kisame commented.

"Wha-?" I pushed Hidan out of the way and stumbled over to Itachi. "What's this about Orochimaru?"

"Ah..." Kisame grumbled. "I forgot you're a leaf shinobi too."

"It's nothing you need to know," Itachi's face did not change expression at all.

I shook my head. "No. No, I demand that you tell me what this is about Orochimaru. If it brings me closer to Sasuke, then I'll be able to achieve what I want most."

"Nerine," Itachi's voice sounded louder and more demanding now. I stopped talking and clenched my fists. Itachi certainly did have this frightening authority to himself, and it was difficult to go against it.

I faced the ground as Itachi and Kisame continued to walk past me. I turned around and glared at Itachi's back as he walked up the stairs. I figured he was going to leader's room to report his findings. Once I heard the door shut in the hallway, I quickly followed his path.

"Nerine! What the hell are you doing?" Hidan sneered.

I placed my index finger over my mouth, signalling him to shut up. I made my way up the stairs silently and pressed my ear against leader's door. I was right, Itachi and Kisame were inside. They discussed details and all, then my attention grew when I heard Orochimaru's name being said.

"Since Sasori's death, I'm assuming that he's given the leaf shinobi information about his spy amongst Orochimaru's henchmen," Leader's voice was muffled behind the thick door.

"I'd say so," Itachi replied in utmost respect. "As Sasori said, he will rendezvous with his spy and gain information on the defected Akatsuki member, Orochimaru. If I remember correctly, it should be in about ten days at the Tenchi Bridge."

"Shall we stop them?" Kisame suggested before giving a creepy chuckle, obviously having a lust for a good battle.

"There is no need. We gain no benefit in stopping the leaf finding Orochimaru." Leader disagreed.

So that was it. I was just given information in finding Orochimaru, and with just that, I had such a huge opportunity to find Sasuke. I can finally prove to him that I was not just some average girl who fell in love with him, and allowed him to break her heart for the stupidest reason.

Of course, love has turned me insane, or at least, very careless.

* * *

**Itachi**

I sensed her presence leave the door and she ran back to the bedroom.

"She's gone now," I stated.

Kisame smirked and said, "You're just going to let her do as she pleases? What if your dear princess gets hurt, or even killed?"

I closed my eyes. "She will learn her lesson. Nerine will realise that I'm the one she must turn to in order to become stronger."

"Tell me, Itachi," Leader looked down on me from his chair, as I kneeled before him. "Why her?"

"People often forget that I am human too. My emotions may not have wavered as I massacred my clan, but that doesn't mean I am completely heartless."

* * *

_Hello lovelies! Thank you to the people who have reviewed last time, I sure hope this one isn't as boring as the last, haha! Anyway, it still (and always) means a lot to me when readers review! Thank you for reading, please look forward to more chapters!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Nerine**

Using the constant chakra control I had, I minimised my chakra presence as much as possible, to the point where I wasn't able to use techniques in a subtle manner. The only thing I could do was to stay quiet and follow this spy to wherever Orochimaru's hideout was.

After a long while of travelling to and waiting at the Tenchi Bridge, a lot of things happened. To go over the details would take a long time to explain, but to summarize; a fight broke out between Konoha and Kabuto... who was surprisingly aided by Orochimaru. Apparently Orochimaru had broken the jutsu Kabuto was under for Sasori, thus creating Kabuto's very long loyalty to his master.

I managed to follow Kabuto and Orochimaru to a deserted land, with this guy I hadn't recognised before. That man had freakishly pale skin and onyx blank eyes. He mainly wore black and I continuously heard people call him 'Sai' so I assumed that was his name. Perhaps he was a replacement. Who knows if he was for Sasuke or me?

I watched from a fair distance Naruto and Sakura, along with a member of the team that I couldn't recall meeting before; a man who controlled the release of wood. I wondered where my brother was... Orochimaru and Kabuto had already gone inside along with Sai. I basically could not get in without getting noticed. Although I saw Naruto and the others making progress in breaking in... They managed to create a hole underneath the ground, and all in silence too. Damn, never underestimate my old comrades then, huh?

After a few minutes of sensing them get further into the hideout, I made my way into the hole they made, and I began my journey to find Sasuke. He must've been in there somewhere. The halls all looked the same, and it was painfully easy to get lost within them.

I was about to run into another dim hallway until I sensed someone's presence. It was Sai, peering into a door. I froze as soon as I heard dialogue pass back and forth between him and someone else.

"I've come to escort you back to Konoha," Sai stated clearly.

My breath then got caught in my throat when I heard his voice.

"...You woke me up for that?"

I shut my eyes and suddenly felt like breaking down. I really was just like a puppet under Sasuke's strings. In that moment when I finally heard his voice after several years, I realised that I was so easily swayed by him that I'd forgotten how to think for myself. I made Sasuke become everything to me when I'm nothing to him. I was just like those fan girls that trailed after Sasuke's every move, except I was worse. Those girls managed to grow and become skilful ninja, but I... I pursued a goal that I honestly believe now, I cannot achieve.

I'd zoned out too much from the conversation I was listening in on to that a bomb was triggered, and the half the hideout was destroyed. With quick instinct, I released my chakra to flow easily through my body and jumped out of the explosion. I took my stance at the edge of the massive hole created by this bomb.

Sasuke stood on the opposite side, staring down at Sai, and at Naruto, Sakura and the captain of their team. They talked for a while, barely even noticing me... although they should have. I stood corrected as Sasuke made eye contact with me while Naruto was yelling at him for leaving.

I took in a breath, and couldn't bring myself to look as impenetrable as I should have.

"That coat," He raised his voice loud enough for me to hear. "So it's happened."

Naruto stopped screaming and turned around, as did the other members.

"N...Nerine!" Sakura and Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, it's true," I replied in a voice that was probably nowhere near as confident as I wanted it to be.

In a blink of an eye, he was at least thirty metres away from my position, to right next to me, holding his arm around my shoulder.

"You've become an idiot, Nerine," He whispered in my ear.

I smiled weakly; something I shouldn't have done either, knowing that I'm an Akatsuki member. "I was an idiot as soon as I developed feelings for you."

I felt his hand grip my shoulder tightly. "You realise what I have to do now, don't you?" He said this as he slowly drew out his sword.

"Break another bond," I answered. "You'll break another bond where... there's only one end that's holding it up."

Sasuke was silent for what seemed like hours. He pushed his katana back into place and he exhaled. "Need I remind you, I broke our bond to save you trouble."

"And look where it's gotten me," I continued to stare out at the deserted land, and then I lifted my head higher to face him on my right. "You have no right to tell me that I shouldn't get into trouble when you're one of the most wanted runaway ninja in Konoha."

Feeling something hit the back of my neck, I then blacked out.

"...Fuck," I whimpered with a tiny breath. I'm truly a helpless ninja.

* * *

I groaned quietly and rubbed my neck. I squinted as I tried to make a clear image of my surroundings. What happened before I was knocked out?

Oh right... My vision cleared and I recognized Sasuke's attire. The place almost looked identical to the hideout I was roaming around in. Dim candles, an uncomfortable bed, stone-made room...

Sasuke stood beside the bed I was on and said, "You're finally awake."

...What should I have done, attack him with all my might? Or do I just beg for him to take me back?

I just laid there. It was one of those things where my head said to kill him but my heart said to forgive him. "What am I doing here?" I murmured against the wrinkled sheets.

"You're in another one of Orochimaru's hideouts. After you've recovered, I'm leaving you outside, but I'm expecting you to not turn to any affiliation with that man," Sasuke answered firmly.

"Where..." I brushed my hand against my bare leg. "Where's my coat?"

"It's been burned," He replied, seeming to not regret whatever decisions he's made.

"What?" I sat up slowly. "You burnt my coat with fire?"

"You're asking that to an Uchiha."

"You..." I grimaced as I stared at his perfectly structured face. "You must be the biggest hypocrite I know. You have absolutely no freaking right to tell me to not join evil when you yourself have become—"

"Is there anything else I don't know?" He stopped me, and then I found the perfect words.

I took a slow, deep breath. I brought my body up on my knees, and reached out to his body next to the bed. I stroked his... masculine... toned... lovely chest. I brought him so close to me that I was breathing on his neck. I scoffed at my behaviour.

I murmured, "Doesn't it ever come to mind that maybe I want to join the Akatsuki for my own reasons?"

"You don't have an inch of evil in you, Nerine."

I smirked. "I wouldn't be such a good girl if my main purpose in joining the Akatsuki... is to let your brother fuck me over seventy times."

If Sasuke's eyes could make a noise, it would be growling non-stop. "You should watch your mouth."

"...Maybe I'd let him abuse me a little, because he's just so... malicious," I could easily see my little act working on him.

"Nerine, stop throwing those words around so carelessly."

"I'd let him touch every last inch on my body," I gripped onto Sasuke's shirt. "Because I want all of him inside me."

Sasuke hissed as he furiously pushed me against the wall aside the bed I was kneeling on. "Who the hell do you think you are to say those types of things to my face?" His sharingan was activated, looking deep into my mind.

I stopped my conduct and almost silently answered, "I'm another girl who fell in love with you, but her heart was damaged to pieces when you left, that she didn't know her place when you were gone. Just like half of the female population back home."

Sasuke's harsh breathings slowed, and his sharingan faded away. "What?"

"...You broke me," I whispered to him. "Now, I want you to fix it."

He let go of my wrists that were still clasped against the stone cold wall. Sasuke turned the other way and he told me, "I have no benefit in helping you in what you want."

I was about to explode. "DAMN IT SASUKE!" I yelled. "You've always been this and that about bonds and how they help you in no way possible," I then grabbed his collar and pulled him back, forcing him to look at me. He then took a firm hold of my collar-wielding arm. "But I know that without these bonds, you feel like a deep shithole, just waiting for some more bullshit about revenge to fill the void of losing your friends."

He glared at me. "I have no 'void' of missing friends. I have one goal and purpose. I'm not going to allow anything to get in the way of that, not even you."

I shook my head, furrowing my eyebrows together. "You're a fucking idiot."

Sasuke smirked. "I was an idiot as soon as I considered your feelings for me."

By that point I was so filled up with so many emotions of rage, sadness, confusion and all, my thoughts could not keep up with my actions. I had seized Sasuke's face, and brought it to mine, letting our lips touch after three long years.

It had taken me a long time to realise that I was kissing Sasuke.

_Oh, shit._

* * *

_Hello! ksyk here. Please review! You have no idea how much one review can perk up my day so please do continue reading and reviewing haha. Hope you liked this chapter and it hopefully wasn't too cheesy DX_


	8. Chapter 8

Nerine had her eyes squeezed shut, too afraid to see Sasuke's reaction. At first he grunted and then he shoved her away. He wiped the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. His expression was nothing but detest, as he glared at her with angered eyes. Nerine sat up straight, and returned the same look. Although holding a strong appearance, she felt weak.

The next movement was sudden, and most certainly surprising.

"...Nerine," Sasuke's voice was suddenly different, and as he said this, he pinned her down to the bed.

It was as if they'd both lost complete control of the circumstances they were in, they just wanted to return back to when their situations weren't always so complicated... even if they never truly existed. Nerine didn't argue any longer. She wrapped her arms tightly around Sasuke's neck and crashed her lips into his once more. Sasuke, although rare to see, was also lost in this impromptu lust. He straddled her, having not one intention in letting her go. Sasuke's muscular frame easily overpowered Nerine's fragile-looking body and it made him, all the more, want to control her.

He let go of this deep kiss, and trailed his tongue down Nerine's neck. Sasuke bit and sucked intensely at her throat, sending shivers down Nerine's spine.

"Sa...suke..." She whimpered his name through her petite voice. This urged him to ravish her body further.

He impulsively grabbed the collar of her dress, and ripped it through until it reached her navel. She gasped, and covered her chest with the bed sheet beside her. Sasuke sat up and loosened his shirt, allowing it to hang by the purple rope around his waist. He roughly grabbed the blanket and threw it across the room. She yelped.

"If you can show my brother this, then why won't you show me?" He leaned close to her ear as he asked this.

Nerine's blush grew deeper as Sasuke still fell for the lie she told. "But I—"

Sasuke was on top of Nerine, but this time he was only an inch away from her face, and his chest was rubbing against hers. Her face was completely red.

Nerine begged, "Sasuke, please don't—"

He'd already gotten ahead of her and grasped her breast. She was very small and soft; definitely more miniature than a majority of girls her age. It was alright because she herself was only at most 150cm tall. It couldn't be emphasised more that she was one of the smaller kunoichi out there. It was almost a common occurrence when people looked shocked once hearing of her age, thinking she was only 12 years old.

Nerine sighed as he fumbled around her chest. "What else did my brother do to you?" Sasuke asked, kissing her neck lightly as he eyed her response.

She shook her head. "W-Why are you doing this?" She lay limply even though she could have simply stopped him from touching her. Instead, she grabbed the underlying linen in his bed in order to help her restrain her noises.

Sasuke hesitated for a long moment. "...He had always beaten me in everything. He beat me with aiming and graduating, even with his sharingan."

Nerine opened her eyes and looked at him.

"...I expected myself to get you before him." Sasuke let go of Nerine's breast and sat up. "I didn't expect or him to have any interest in you... And again, he has given me more reasons to kill him."

"Sasuke," Nerine mumbled, pulling at her bra strap. "I'm sorry."

"For what, letting him have sex with you?" He shook his head in an unamused manner.

"I..." She began. "I can't do this."

Sasuke sat up, allowing Nerine to do so as well. Nerine covered herself up and looked up at her former partner.

"I don't want things for us to happen this way," She mumbled.

He looked at the person beneath him, and he clenched his fists. "No. You're just afraid." He expected her to defend herself.

"I know," She nodded shamefully. "I am. I'm afraid of many things, which is why I've become such a weak ninja."

"That's not the person I was with back at the Hidden Leaf," Sasuke replied sternly, getting off of Nerine and sitting on the side of the bed.

"I'll admit; all I truly want is to have you back the way you were, in the village... but not so sought out for revenge. I know that if we had continued what we were doing just then, we'd both regret it."

A long silence was painfully hanging in the air.

"...And I feel like I'm helpless without you."

Sasuke scoffed. "You're still as straightforward as ever."

Nerine gave a weak smile. "...I don't know what I'm going to do... I feel no reason for me to be at the Akatsuki and I know you will leave me again. It's like I really have no reason being anywhere right now."

"Then stay."

Her heart skipped a beat. As pathetic as it was, she wanted him to ask her this. "What?"

"Exactly what I said."

"...I..."

What happened next could only have been considered to be done within five seconds, at maximum. Nerine was about to answer, until she felt warmth against her cold skin. Something covered her body - a black cloak. She gasped, causing Sasuke to turn around. His eyes widened and he grabbed his katana.

Itachi was there, behind Nerine on the bed, covering her within his attire.

"Sasuke!" Nerine yelped.

Itachi gave Sasuke one glance. Sasuke was about to strike.

...And Itachi had vanished once again.

* * *

**Nerine**

I dropped to my knees as I was thrown onto the dirt in the forest. I groaned, and stood up, dusting off my knees and other areas. I turned around quickly and glared at Itachi.

He eyed my figure, and then met my eyes. "You look disgraceful."

I looked down, realising my bra was exposed due to my ripped dress. "Oh, shit," I grumbled, trying to cover up. It didn't work out too well, since I had nothing else to cover myself with.

Itachi unzipped his cloak, and tossed it onto my head. "Use it," He said.

I was frozen for a moment. I was expecting him to chastise me for disobeying what he said, about all of this being none of my business. I wrapped the large item of apparel around me. "You're..." I began. "You're not going to punish me? Aren't you angry?"

Itachi began walking in a certain direction and I subconsciously followed him. He replied to me, "I am not satisfied with the way you are acting."

I stopped. I clutched onto his cloak and frowned. "I was not made to follow your orders, Itachi."

Itachi turned and took closer steps towards me. "I know you are still wavering on your choice in whether you should stay in the Akatsuki, but you should believe me when I say that you are no longer needed in the Hidden Leaf. Not after your abandonment to your brother."

That hurt. "You say that but I am not needed in the Akatsuki either. I'm not needed anywhere because I am a useless ninja that is so easily swayed by emotions—"

"You're just another girl who has had her heart broken by an Uchiha," Itachi stopped me from saying anymore. "But you are exaggerating."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Itachi... You know how I feel about your brother, don't you?"

He was silent for a few seconds, and then he managed to breathe out, "I can see that by the state of your hair and clothing."

I pet my hair in a kind of sheepish manner, and smiled weakly. "Would I be able to join him?"

"In the pursuit of killing me?" He was just about to scoff. "Why not do it now?"

"I know I am a girl who is desperate. All I want to do is stay by Sasuke's side," I answered. "I have no intention in killing you... not that I'd be able to."

"I'm not going to allow you to stay as my brother's aide," Itachi stated firmly.

My eyebrows furrowed, angered at his response. "Why not?" It had surprised me that I was even asking him the question in the first place, considering that I didn't particularly see him as my superior.

He shook his head as he roughly grabbed my shoulder, leaning towards my face. "I know you'll do better if you stick with me."

I sneered. "You have no guarantees."

He gave me a smirk that was almost unseeable from a distance. Itachi lifted my chin with his index and thumb, saying, "Waste your unfulfilled tension on me, and I will train you so that you'll become a brighter ninja, perhaps enough to surpass Sasuke."

Being able to be a better shinobi did sound tempting... Although I hadn't aimed to become stronger than Sasuke.

Itachi continued on persuading me. "You really don't have anything to lose now, don't you?" I looked away from his face, but he forced my head to turn back, facing his again. "When I say waste your tension on me, I don't just mean mentally."

I ridiculed him. "What, are you talking about sexual tension?" I rolled my eyes with a mocking smile. "Itachi you're the reason Sasuke left me. Because of you, I'm in this situation. There is no way in hell I would want to— Mmf!"

Itachi was kissing me.

Another Uchiha was kissing me.

**The other Uchiha was kissing me.**

* * *

_reviews pl0x or else i get all sad and moody :c_


	9. Chapter 9

**Nerine**

It was a brief kiss. It was nothing very passionate, but definitely confusing.

He let go of me and I breathed, "...Eh?"

"You are too easy to deceive," Itachi said. His voice wasn't coming from the body in front of me.

I gasped, hitting my head for being such an idiot, "Damn it... _Genjutsu._"

The body in front of me vanished, and there appeared Itachi, still metres in front of me, waiting for me to follow him. He said, "At least you figured that out, more or less without help."

"You know it's a stupid idea to try kissing me," I muttered, bottling up my anger towards him.

"It's not 'trying' if it really happened," Itachi replied calmly as we both walked through the forest, to the destination which I assumed was back to the hideout.

I had to muster up all of my willpower not to slap him there and then. "I want to stay with Sasuke."

"You're staying with the Akatsuki."

I ignored what he said and turned around, walking in the other direction. I don't care what Itachi has to say, he's not the Uchiha I want to follow... As pathetic as that sounded.

Itachi's footsteps paused and he watched me walk away. He called out, "You don't even know where you are. What makes you think you can find Sasuke?"

I sneered, "I'll find him. He'll be looking for me."

"If he were looking for you, you two would be together a long time ago."

I stopped. "We'll find each other, okay?"

"You don't know where to go. Give up." Itachi ordered.

I shook my head. "The reason I am with you now is to find Sasuke. I realise now that I can do it without your help."

"Do not make me turn to force," Itachi's voice sounded menacing. "You are going to stay with the Akatsuki to train with me. That isn't a question waiting for your answer."

I sighed, "I don't ca—!"

Something hit the back of my neck again; similar to the time I'd encountered Sasuke... I closed my eyes.

_Why does this keep happening to me? Why do I continuously find myself off guard...? Have I lost track in the training to be a great ninja, by issues that shouldn't even deem to be important in one's life? Was I always this weak? Have I thought too much of others to think about the well-being of myself? _

_I'm frail... Maybe it would be best if I..._

* * *

I had a vivid dream. It felt so real, as if I could reach out and actually feel the beings within it.

It was three years ago. Team 7 were together, just finishing our training. Naruto was trying to get a date out of Sakura. Sakura was trying to get a date out of Sasuke. Sasuke was brooding over his revenge and I... well I was busy maintaining a fit lifestyle for my brother and I. That and of course... watching Sasuke from a distance.

Yes, I could be called one of his 'fans'. I liked him, a lot. I admired his strength and his abilities. I also thought he was very handsome... It was a little depressing to know that I was basically like a majority of the teenage girls in Konoha, but perhaps without so much physical inclination towards him. I was just happy to be in his presence, and see him well and healthy.

Of course, I could only do it for so long. My feelings for him grew even more as Sakura clung onto him everyday. Ino would follow him around and other various girls would try to gain an intimate interaction with him, but failing. It was irritable to see so many girls around him, and I felt like I was never going to be noticed by him.

I eventually had to tell him. It was that evening after he'd finished training. Most of the teenage girls would've been at home due to curfews or homework at that time of the night, so it was pleasing to see him not crowded over. Sasuke was panting against a pine tree and I offered him food and a drink. He accepted it hesitantly and there, I confessed.

It was no huge speech about how I enjoyed seeing him work hard everyday, or how I liked how calm he was about most things, unlike Naruto. No, I just said, "I like you."

Maybe Sasuke had received too many confessions with long speeches, or maybe he didn't get any confessions at all. I crossed out the latter seeing as he was surrounded by so many fans.

The next few months, Sasuke and I only held short conversations, but it was more than what we had before I'd confessed. It was a good feeling to know that he at least acknowledged my feelings for him, and the fact that I didn't (really) mind him not wanting to be with me.

Team 7 were on another D-rank mission, cleaning up the streets of Konoha.

I wiped my forehead and sighed, "Finally done..."

I headed up to the meeting point where all of us were supposed to assemble after finishing our assigned streets. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi were all there. I was embarrassed; they were all waiting on me.

I blushed and murmured, "I'm sorry for the wait..."

Naruto groaned, "Geez, Nerine... even I did my areas quicker than that!"

Kakashi calmed Naruto down, saying, "Now, now, give her a break. I did assign her to do the restaurant streets, which are usually the most trash-filled parts of the village."

"Whatever," Naruto shrugged. "Now that we've all finished, I'm off to go eat ramen! Sakura, want to join—"

"In your dreams, knucklehead," Sakura rejected in a second. "Sasuke, do you want to go and eat something together?" Her attitude changed then; she was smiling and pulling a cute face. I admit; Sakura is quite a pretty girl. It made me feel kind of inferior, seeing as I was smaller than her. I don't just mean height, either.

Sasuke ignored her question, and began walking off.

"Eh?" Sakura blinked. "Oh, okay, next time then Sasuke!" She waved off, and then stomped away in humiliation.

"Nerine," A voice called me.

I turned around and spotted Shikamaru, lazily heading towards my direction. I smiled, "Hello, Shikamaru."

"Did you want to go together now?" He asked. "I just finished training with my team. I figured, since there's nothing else to do, I may as well meet you."

I saw Sasuke, in the corner of my eye, stop in his tracks. I nodded gratefully, "Yes! Luckily I've finished my mission just now, so I'm free for the rest of the day."

Sasuke walked back over to me. "Shikamaru."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy by my side. "Uchiha. What's up with you?"

The next sentence sounded a bit odd to me, because Sasuke didn't seem the type to want to know other peoples' businesses, but I think it was because he was trying to make his question seem like there were no intentions behind it. Sasuke asked him, "Where are you taking Nerine?"

Shikamaru sent him a weird look. "We're going together to the library because she asked me to help her with her concentration. Apparently she believes she's focused too much on looking after her brother and some other matter she won't tell me."

I blushed. The other matter was being too hung over Sasuke.

Sasuke glared at Shikamaru, then me. He stated in a confident voice, "Thanks for that," His voice sounded a tiny bit sarcastic. "You go back to doing what you do; I'll deal with her concentration."

"What?" My eyes widened. I didn't want concentration lessons from the person who keeps distracting me. That would be impossible.

"Sheesh, what a drag," Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head in annoyance as he grunted this. "Whatever."

Sasuke had taken me to the library and as he sat me down at a table in the far end corner, he dropped some books in front of me, all under random subjects. He placed his hands on the opposite side of the table, staring at me intently.

He finally spoke up. "Why didn't you ask me for help?"

I didn't want to seem rude. "Well... you're the one that's distracting me..."

"I thought it was Kakashi."

"You're the other matter..."

"How am I distracting you? The most I've ever done with you is that painfully awkward small talk."

I closed my eyes tightly. "I'm distracted by you because you're always in my head, my thoughts, my mind... And to make it worse I see you everyday surrounded by your fan girls," I opened my eyes, looking up at the striking Uchiha. "It is difficult to focus on training when all I keep thinking about is you, and how you don't care about me. It was driving me crazy so I asked Shikamaru to help me. He's the best one to turn to in attentiveness."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "If I didn't care I wouldn't have hauled you to the library myself."

He was implying something that I wanted to hear, but I didn't want him to be troubled enough to say it. I shook my head. "Don't play with my feelings when you don't feel the same way."

"It's almost pitiful, seeing you like this," He commented.

I cringed, sinking lower into my chair and avoided all eye contact with him.

"...But that doesn't mean that I don't admire you either," He finished his sentence with this surprise.

_Don't let him get to you; don't let him get to you. _"You have no reason to admire me when you have to train yourself for your revenge. You don't have time for someone like me."

"If I think about it hard enough, I believe I do have the right to have a high regard for you. You hold a lot of responsibility; you try hard in being a better ninja, despite your issues on concentration – I mean you even asked someone else for help, and you sacrifice your own time to care for what's left of your family. Albeit, I don't necessarily like the idea of helping out a brother. Still, the other reasons change what you are amongst the other girls. They spend too much time fawning over me when they could be trying to be like you," He explained. That lengthy explanation kind of caught me off hand, and gave me a tiny ray of hope.

"...What do you want from me?" I murmured.

Sasuke smirked. Oh, that smirk. "I'll be truthful and say that I am focusing on achieving my goal. It's just difficult for me as well... to concentrate when your confession keeps replaying in my mind."

"...So?"

"Why so simple? Why so straightforward? You didn't react as much as most girls do. You hardly even went red in the face. You react so differently compared to what the screaming girls normally do."

It almost felt like he was pointing out all my flaws.

Sasuke moved over to the seat next to me, and leaned his elbow on the table, resting his cheek in his palm. His expression changed then. He no longer wore the cocky smirk that he normally gave to Naruto during our training sessions. This time, his eyes were blank, and so was his expression. He stared past me and almost whispered, "Give me a taste of what it feels like to have good feelings... before I completely drown myself into my brother's path." His eyes were longing and his mouth then closed shut. Sasuke seemed to be lost in a different world, until he snapped out of it. He eyed me and said, "What'll your answer be?"

It almost felt like I was a tool for Sasuke's welfare, but at the time I didn't mind. "I don't know what I can do... Sakura will want to kill me," I meant that in a literal sense. She really would.

Sasuke smirked. "I'll help you in that decision."

He got off his elbow, a little red mark across his cheek developed from the weight onto his hand. Sasuke moved closer to me, and I realised what he was doing. He leaned in closer towards my body, touching my waist delicately, and brushing my hair away from my face. I clumsily looked away from his eyes, but at the same time, allowed him to get closer.

"Nerine," He breathed into my ear.

He moved away from the side of my face, and now faced me. I really could feel his breath on my lips; it was warm, and didn't smell stale either. Sasuke came closer until his lips were barely a centimetre away from mine.

* * *

I gasped, feeling air caught in the middle of my throat. I sat up in a panic, taking heed of my environment. Again, I was stuck in the Akatsuki hideout; the tallest tower in the Hidden Village in the Rain. I was in my room again, a small candle keeping light in the dark room with no windows.

"No..." I grimaced.

"You're awake," Itachi's voice sounded as he opened the door.

"You bastard!" I yelled. "Why are you doing this to me!"

I almost felt like crying after experiencing my childhood again in my sleep. It made me wish I hadn't chosen to take up Itachi's offer in the first place.

"You're never going to survive with the amount of concentration you have," Itachi told me. "You have to prioritise what is more important. Being able to save yourself, or attempting to save a foolish boy who deserted you. The choice is yours.

I looked down at the bed sheets, and thought to myself. Not once had I been able to fight for myself. I had never been able to save my comrades, because it was always my comrades saving me. I was useless when in a team, which explained why I was hardly ever sent out on a mission outside of town. I was stuck doing the errands around the town, not because I was good at getting things done quickly, but because I was not skilled enough for the hokage to believe it was safe. It hurt, and Itachi was right. I needed to prioritise my things in life.

"Save me, Itachi."

* * *

_This is definitely longer than what I'd usually write, so it would be really appreciated if you could all review, and yes, that means you! It doesn't hurt, and only takes a minute. I hope you all enjoyed this longer chapter and please let me know what you think of the story so far. Thank you!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Nerine**

"Concentrate," Itachi's voice echoed through my mind.

It had been four months since I had asked him to take me under his wing. I had closed my eyes, and imprinted the image of my surroundings into my mind. I was in a dark and damp room; a training area in the large tower of the Akatsuki. It was located underground, so that if any damage were done, it wouldn't have so much effect on the higher levels.

I focused intently on the sounds and smells around me, heightening my senses. Suddenly, I heard air being pushed in a rapid motion; something was being thrown toward me. I grabbed two two-feet-long tanto that were crossed behind my back, and blocked the kunai's offence. Still keeping my eyes closed, I listened.

Running footsteps.

Opening my eyes, I fought with Itachi. It was getting easy. Punches and kicks were thrown and blocked; weapons after weapons were being used. I jumped back, distancing myself from him.

"You're making it too easy, Itachi," I growled.

Gripping onto my tanto, I released lightning into my palms, letting it flow through my double weapons.

"I'll give it to you difficult, then," Itachi replied. His already activated sharingan was forming into something else – Mangekyou.

I quickly looked at his feet, and ran towards him. As soon as I was right in front of him, he moved to the side to dodge. He was stabbed anyway.

"I thought you'd be smart enough to dodge a clone," I muttered to him, seeing the electricity pass through his body.

His body went up into a smoke, leaving nothing behind.

"You've done well enough to fight against my clone," Itachi murmured in the darkness, taking slow steps toward me.

I nodded as my clone disappeared. I withdrew my weapons and said, "You helped me. I know I can do much better next time..."

"You've had a good progression within the past four months, I can't say you'd have been a master at everything by now," He replied. "Being trained in the Akatsuki makes you strong, and makes you have no heart for things that are not worth your time."

"Is that what you think of Sasuke?" I raised an eyebrow.

Itachi almost flinched, giving me a dead look. "I said no such thing."

I assumed I hit a nerve there. I sighed, "I must thank you for the effort you've put into all of this for me. I appreciate it." Then, I bowed in a slightly awkward manner. I learned to respect Itachi a little more as he was my kind of mentor.

Itachi stepped closer to me. "You're not as feisty as you used to be. Could you have some sort of loyalty towards me now?"

I scoffed, "Itachi, I'm simply glad that you've trained me. Nothing more."

"Then," He touched my chin as he looked down from his elevated stature. He gently raised my head to face him directly. "If someone were to attack me right now, you would leave me in danger?"

Itachi was slightly taller than Sasuke. He was mature and intriguing, and had this dark aura of mystery behind him. I did not know much about him, as I'd grown up only being close to Sasuke. When I was young I saw him always busy with missions. I felt pity for him, even if he was my superior. Nonetheless, he did have a personality that contradicted itself. He gave a very subtle sense of security and reason, but at the same time, he's a criminal that murdered his entire clan. Why? How can someone who was willing to look after a hopeless soul such as myself, be known as such a notorious man? It didn't make sense to me.

I stared into his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't send me into his torturous illusion world. Itachi was hypnotising. I was quiet for God knows how long. My lips parted, and I mumbled an automatic response: "No."

His lips turned up slightly. He let go of my face and began walking towards the exit. "I think it's time you began making dinner for everyone."

"Oh..." I blinked. I quickly walked behind him and left the training room.

I ran up to my shared room and threw my weapons on my bed. Originally the room belonged to Sasori and Deidara, as well as a man named Tobi. I suppose it was (as bad as it sounds) a bit of a convenience because of Sasori's death, because there wouldn't be the trouble of where I'd be sleeping. Deidara was already in the bedroom, napping until I accidentally woke him up when my weapons hit the bed.

"Uh, what?" He mumbled groggily.

He returned to the hideout almost a month after we all encountered the Leaf ninja. He was very beat up, but Kakuzu repaired his damaged arms for him. Not too long ago, both Kakuzu and Hidan were killed by my old comrades from my old village. I was disappointed – Hidan's loud and outrageous behaviour always made the place less morbid, and Kakuzu was always there to annoy me about money debts he needed from people. I guess Tobi was the only little hyperactive one in the group now, as decreased as the numbers have gone.

"Oh, sorry, Deidara," I apologised.

He shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "Whatever, yeah. What are you doing?"

"I'm about to start dinner," I was about to walk out of the room but Deidara quickly followed me.

I walked into the kitchen and swiftly grabbed the apron. Deidara turned on the sink, rinsed his mouth and washed his face to wake him up from the brief sleep he had.

"What you gonna cook?" Deidara sat on a stool nearby as he asked this.

"Some more hiyayakko; we're running out of ingredients again," I answered.

"Eh," He groaned. "There's no variety in this place, yeah. Seems like all we've been eating is tofu lately."

"Go out there and get some groceries, then," I retorted back at his complaining.

He snorted, "Do it yourself, princess."

Someone walked into the kitchen. "Nerine," He said.

"Itachi?" I questioned his presence. Normally he spent time in his room or something. I hardly knew where he went after he trained me.

"Leader wants to speak to you. Come with me," He told me.

I quickly put down my ingredients and took off my apron, brushing myself off to look 'presentable' for my leader. Deidara huffed as I said to him, "Prepare the dinner for me, Deidara. You know well enough how to make it."

I silently followed Itachi and as we walked down the hallways of the building, he spoke, "Your attitude has changed in the past few months. Have you realised?"

I glanced at the back of his head. "I don't know."

"You've become more relaxed here; more steadfast towards the organisation," Itachi explained calmly.

I did feel like I wasn't fighting back with Itachi as often as I wanted to, and I seemed to give Leader all my respect. "Isn't that what you want?" I exhaled.

"So long as you're satisfied with what you've gained here," He replied, referring to my training.

We reached the leader's room, and before Itachi bothered knocking, a voice inside called and said, "Come in."

Both of us entered quietly. The room was dark, only lighted by a poor running lamp that handed the room a dim atmosphere.

"Itachi, thank you for bringing her," Leader said upon his chair. Konan stood beside him, always keeping a committed bond. She was of course, the closest to our Leader between anyone in the Akatsuki. The fiery haired man looked over at me. "Nerine, I'm sure you of all people have noticed that we don't spend enough money on our food."

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

"The funds from the people of this village have only been supporting the needed materials for the Akatsuki's... weapon techniques, so to say," He explained, "And what I'm going to do is send you on your first mission."

"Anything, leader," I bowed.

"You're going to go to each of the villages, accompanied with two members, and collect money," He ordered.

"If..." I began, "If it's alright to ask; how will I accomplish that?"

"Go to feudal lords, higher authorities, perhaps even some townspeople. Deceive them into business, and I suggest you not to earn the money with the truth, unless you want to jeopardise the Akatsuki's whereabouts and your position here amongst us."

"Understood, leader."

"The two most suited in accompanying you will be Deidara and Itachi. Kisame, although Itachi's main comrade, will rest here after completing his previous missions for us."

I bowed along with Itachi, and as we exited, our leader said, "You leave tonight."

I fell silent as I thought of showing the Akatsuki that I was not just a little girl who was brought in by a member. I was willing to show them that I could be a part of the organisation. I don't know why I was so willing to, though. As soon as I touched the door handle to my room, another thought passed my mind.

"Wait," I whispered. "Every village? Even... the Hidden Leaf?"

* * *

_Hope you're all enjoying it! Please leave a review on what you think of it so far. Thank you!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Kakashi**

"Kakashi..." Jiraiya, a man I truly did respect, placed his hand upon my shoulder. He gave it a tight squeeze. "You have to let go of her. Hanging onto whatever's left is only going to burden you."

I shook my head and sighed. We were seated along with Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto swallowed down his bowl as I stared at my ramen, bought by Jiraiya. It was already late, perhaps almost midnight.

"You're right," I mumbled. "A ninja should never allow his emotions to affect his battles."

Although I said this, I hardly felt comfortable talking about my true thoughts among people.

Naruto flinched, in the corner of my eye. "If a ninja shouldn't let his emotions affect him, I guess I wouldn't be pursuing Sasuke right now if I did that." He then looked up at me from his almost empty bowl. "But can't you think for a moment that maybe she's doing the same thing as me, but in a different method?"

I gave him a small smile. "But Nerine wouldn't want to just leave her only family... would she?" I laughed weakly, rubbing the back of my head.

I took another shot of saké.

* * *

**Nerine**

I sneezed.

I groaned, wiped my nose with the back of my hand and sighed.

Deidara chuckled, "Maybe someone's gossiping about you behind your back, Nerine."

Itachi looked over at me and asked, "Are you tired?"

I peered at him from below my rice hat. I murmured, "I don't mind if you want to continue walking. Aren't we almost there?"

"We are almost at Konoha. We'll find a hotel to check in so you can rest," Itachi planned.

Upon reaching the gates, we walked in without a word, following Itachi to whichever hotel he deemed suitable. I was a bit surprised that we weren't interrogated as soon as we took a step into the village, but I expected to be sussed out by certain people after that point. I hid my face as I kept an eye on Itachi's footsteps, until finally, we entered a small establishment.

After getting in our room, I asked, "Are you really sure it's safe to sleep overnight here? I don't think it's safe for us to be here for too long..."

"If you doubt your security with Deidara and me, I'm disappointed," Itachi replied, casually taking off his coat. Clearly, he was tired from travelling from the Mist Village to the Leaf. "We'll take turns in keeping watch."

"There's no way I'm doing it first," Deidara put his hands up in front of him. "I'm tired like hell," and like that, he already placed himself in one of the two beds.

Itachi must've already planned for us to take shifts in keeping watch, since he booked a room with only two single beds. One of us had to stay up. I was already singled out.

"Alright," I sighed. "I'll keep watch till one of you wakes up."

* * *

Only an hour into my guarding position had already gotten me fatigued. I sat by the sill and peered out the window. It felt like I had left my old village a year ago, when in actual fact it was less than that. I wondered how Sasuke was able to deal with his nostalgia with the memories before he abandoned us. I could see Ichiraku Ramen down the street below, and I remembered how much Naruto enjoyed eating there. I felt reminiscent.

"Speak of the devil," I whispered. I saw him walk out of the stall, thanking the cook for his hard work. Two other men exited with him; Jiraiya and my older brother.

I breathed in quickly and brought my head back in the room. I covered my mouth and ducked down. As I did a clumsy attempt to hide myself, I pushed the window closed with my index finger. After staying in that position for a good few minutes, I raised my head above the windowsill, to check if they had all left.

My brother was walking past the hotel. They must've all gone in different directions. I should've known; our apartment was always a little down further from this lodge. I watched intently as he walked in zig zags on the path. He punched the fence beside him and grunted. Kakashi almost lost balance and came close to falling.

Was he drunk?

"Stupid Nerine!" He wailed out, loud enough to hear behind a closed window. My eyebrows furrowed.

Kakashi continued on his difficult way to our apartment, and I cringed. I hit my head against the wall below the pane. I felt guilty again and I felt like crying for torturing my brother like this... Leaving him with questions unanswered was the same as what Sasuke did to me. I sat down, with my back against the wall. My feet barely touched the legs of Itachi's bed, and that made me look at him.

He was a peaceful sleeper. He did not stir once as soon as he closed his eyes. It made me question whether he was a light or heavy sleeper. Another sigh escaped my lips. It was because of Itachi's persuasion that dragged me into this 'mess'. Although I did not regret it as much as before, the lingering feelings of blame were always there.

I closed my eyes.

* * *

**Itachi**

I opened my eyes, and realised my position had not shifted from when I fell asleep two hours ago. I looked around the room and saw no Nerine in sight. I sat up, only a tiny bit of panic overcoming me. A figure sitting on the ground caught my eye. She was just sitting there limply, sleeping. I shouldn't have entrusted her in the first shift. I got out of the covers and came over to the young girl.

Nerine's position made her seem like a fragile doll. I had this tiny instinct to not touch her at all, in case she broke into tiny glass pieces. A few strands of hair covered her face, and some latched onto the corner of her mouth. I peered at her face and lightly tucked the hairs behind her ear. She didn't move. I slowly brought my arm underneath her knees and the other behind her back.

Once carrying her made me realise that she was very light. Considering her height I suppose it wasn't surprising that she weighed a tiny number. Nerine did, unfortunately have the body of a 12 year old girl, so she didn't develop as well as the other girls her age. I placed her on my bed as gently as I could and was about to tuck her under the covers until something stopped me.

A tear came out of the corner of her eye. It slid down into her ear in an incredibly slow motion. Nerine seemed bothered by the water entering that area, so she finally did move around. Her eyes were still closed and she wiped away the tear, frowning as she shuffled into a fetal position. Nerine's voice quietly whimpered as she clutched the bed sheets amongst her body.

Her eyes opened slightly. I felt like I had to move away in order to avoid eye contact with her. I was about to step away from the bed until something grabbed the back of my shirt.

I looked down and saw her gripping my clothing. She looked pained, and unwell. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but she stopped herself. Her expression said it all. Eyebrows creasing upwards, eyelids half shut and lips quivering.

I kneeled down beside her and felt only a bit awkward as I asked, "Are you okay?"

Nerine became truthful without words. She shook her head, signalling a negative.

"Do you..." I really was not used to taking care of people. "Need water?"

Nerine only grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me towards her. She must've been light headed or something, because this was not something she'd do at all, especially to someone like me. I didn't move. She pulled on my attire even more.

Then a few more tears came out. "Come."

And for an unknown reason, I obeyed. I unhurriedly placed myself in the bed too, but faced the other way in a discomfited manner. I felt something wrap around my chest and I realised... it was her arms. I lifted my own in order to avoid contact, but I heard more whimpering. She began crying on my back. It amazed me that Deidara had not woken up to any of this.

I looked over my back at her, and made the decision to face her. After a slight trouble in getting comfortable again, I placed my hand on her head. Not once had I had a person cry on me, furthermore being it a girl in a bed.

"I'm sorry we're back in this village," I apologised. It was the root of why she was upset right?

Nerine only continued to fall weak against me, and I allowed her to. Then, she did a strange thing.

"I... guess I haven't gotten any stronger at all." She then only looked up at me and sniffled, "I'm sorry, Itachi."

My heart skipped a beat.

What's happening to me?


	12. Chapter 12

**Nerine**

The constant songs sung by a blackbird outside irritated me to the point where I threw the alarm clock on the bedside table at the window. It was a bit ironic. Normally the birds made their vocals clear just at the break at dawn, so it was around 5:30am. My eyes squinted and I rubbed them harshly. My mouth felt stale; it was the beauty of morning breath. I groaned as I shifted my position, but something stopped me.

The warmth of a toned arm wrapped around my waist and someone's gentle breath tickled my forehead.

I looked up and could not help but exclaim a loud gasp, "Eh!" It was loud enough to wake Itachi and Deidara up.

"Huh?" Deidara quickly sat up and grabbed a kunai. "What's going on?"

Itachi was startled as I struggled to push him off the bed. He was very heavy. Deidara stared at the both of us blatantly and said, "What... are you two doing?"

"I-I don't know!" I yelped as Itachi simply let go.

"I don't know if you were aware of what you did last night," Itachi murmured. "You pulled me into bed with you."

I quickly roamed my hands at the lower bottom of my body. My underwear was still on.

"We didn't do anything stupid, right?" I questioned myself more than I did to Itachi.

Itachi scoffed lightly, "If we did something Deidara would have woken up, believe me."

"D-Don't imply that we'd be making a lot of noise," I stuttered on my words. "That's embarrassing..."

"Save the talk for somewhere else, yeah," Deidara muttered to the both of us.

"This is the last village we are to collect money from. Nerine," Itachi began planning out our tactics on gaining more money from villagers to higher authorities. "This is going to be more difficult than the others since you know the people here, so the plan is for you to work in a hostess club."

"What!" I gasped. "That's... disgusting!"

"You won't be doing anything for the men, I assure you," Itachi explained, only a little bit annoyed at my conclusion jumping. "Just collect money from the people who choose you. Before you hand your profits to the owner, we will have already left the village."

"This plan seems a bit..." I tried to hold back my words, but eventually let them out. "Bad."

"So I suppose everything else you've done now isn't bad?" Deidara questioned. "Who cares if the plan is stupid? We can't rely on you to betray too many people in the Leaf or you go all goody-two-shoes about lying to them."

"I do not go all 'goody-two-shoes'," I retorted.

Itachi shook his head and said, "Deidara is correct. You are still too attached to this village and to your brother."

I paused and looked at him for a long time. "Whatever, let's just get this over with."

* * *

We waited until night came when I would be sent into a host club. I transformed into a whole different woman in order to not be recognised, although some aspects were kept the same. It could be described similar to being Naruto's sexy jutsu. I was taller, bustier; my facial features had altered strongly along with my hair changing. It was still silver, but it was cropped short, up to my chin. Deidara bought me new clothes to wear, which I admit, could be deemed lightly pornographic. To say the least, it showed a bit too much skin for my liking.

Itachi and Deidara managed to get me into the club, and I sat in a room, waiting for a customer to be sweet-talked by me. I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself. I stood up and walked around in my assigned room. It was a little dim, with alcohol set on the table. I wobbled as I worked my feet, and I became frustrated.

"How do girls walk around with boobs bigger than mine...?" I murmured. "So big..." They had to be at least a C cup, maybe closer to D. I regret having this image while transforming.

Suddenly, a man opened the door with a flirty smile. "Hello~ Nanami, right? I hear you're new to this joint!"

I turned around and kept in a gasp. I was only half surprised to see Jiraiya step in, remembering how many times Naruto often whined about his master. "Oh," I said. "Hello, sir."

Jiraiya took a seat and gestured me to side with him. As I did, he gave me a comforting smile, "If I'm your first customer, I'll assure you that I don't do anything dirty. A lovely woman's company, such as you, does me quite a lot of satisfaction!"

"That's... good to know," I smiled. "Tell me, what's it like being a ninja?"

He chuckled. "It's very—"

Another man entered. My eyes went wide.

"Ah! Kakashi! I'm glad you accepted my invitation!" Jiraiya welcomed him loudly. "Kakashi, meet Nanami! Nanami, Kakashi."

I nodded with a weak smile as my brother still looked moody. I suddenly felt really awkward.

"The only reason I'm here is because you were offering me free drinks," Kakashi replied as he nodded back at me. Quickly, Kakashi began to take small shots of sake as he took the other seat beside me.

"Kakashi, you can't expect to drown out Nerine with alcohol," Jiraiya said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You should branch out to meeting women."

Kakashi groaned. He seemed more aggressive than before I left the village. "Screw the women."

"Exactly," Jiraiya raised his eyebrows.

Kakashi shook his head. "Hah... Sorry Jiraiya. I don't feel comfortable staying here, when I could be doing some more paperwork for the Hokage."

"You don't feel comfortable anywhere," Jiraiya sighed. "Let go of your sister, Kakashi, or else you'll be weighed down."

"N-No," I blurted out.

Both men looked at me.

"I mean," I began making excuses in my head. "Why let go of family? I... don't know what's going on between you sirs, but I don't think your sister would like you letting go of her."

"Haha, thank you for your input, young Nanami," Jiraiya smiled.

Kakashi simply took a bottle of sake and walked out of the club room.

Jiraiya yelped, "Ah..." He then looked at me and gave me an extra 6000 ryou. "I'm sorry Nanami, I've wasted your experience of your first customer... but I have to run after Kakashi," He smiled with nervous laughter. "The rest of your money is at the counter outside."

Just like that, Jiraiya left to catch my brother. Without thinking, I followed him in search of Kakashi. I ran out of the host club despite the manager yelling at me non-stop. I hid in a tree as I saw him enter our old apartment. A little after that, Jiraiya came to comfort him. I guessed Kakashi sent him off because within three minutes, Jiraiya gave a loud sigh and walked out.

I took a breather before I came to the door and knocked lightly. Kakashi opened it with a little bit of irritation. He seemed confused when he saw me. "Uh... Nanami, was it? Can I... help you?"

"Um," I panicked silently as I was too caught up in finding my brother that I had no idea what to do when I did. "No, not really, uh..." I scratched the back of my head. "I was just thinking about what you were saying about your sister, and how Jiraiya wanted you to let go of her."

"You think I shouldn't?" Kakashi's eye smiled at me. "I already got that from you."

"Well yes but," I breathed quickly. "I mean..." I had never stuttered this much over my words since I was 13 with Sasuke. "I don't... Just don't give up on your family, okay?"

Kakashi was silent. His eyebrow creased and he stared at me. He squinted his eyes and looked as if he wanted to say something. Kakashi studied me for what seemed like years.

Kakashi mumbled a very soft sentence. "Could you possibly be...?"

* * *

_Hi guys. Please take a little time out of your hands to review, it really means a lot and it doesn't take that long... Thanks to Echo Uchiha for reviewing each chapter. I appreciate it, and I'd appreciate it if some more of you guys told me what you think of it. Thanks._


	13. Chapter 13

**Nerine**

I took in a sharp breath as he was about to say the next word. Shit, did I screw things over? Did he see through my disguise?

He began, "Neri—"

"Nanami!" Someone yelled out over Kakashi's quiet voice.

I almost forgot to react to my alias. "Uh..." I turned to my right as a delayed response, and I saw two men walking up towards me. I didn't recognise them. "...Yes?"

"You shouldn't run off from the club like that," One said, giving me a hard smile. "Despite being attached to our customers, there are limits."

"I...I'm sorry," I mumbled, confused about how they found me so quickly.

"We'll get her off your hands for you. Sorry for the trouble," He said again, grabbing tightly at my arm. After that encounter, I looked back at Kakashi, who peered out of his door. He was confused like me and looked only a little bit regretful that he didn't finish his question. I almost felt the same way.

I miss my brother.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was being pulled, or to the two men who were dragging me elsewhere in the dark. They could have been rapists for all I knew. The one who was holding my arm pushed me against the cold wall outside the hotel I was staying in.

Both men transformed, and with not much surprise, it was Itachi and Deidara, Deidara being the one who was grabbing me like a piece of meat.

"It was just you two..." I sighed, getting rid of my tension.

My relief was cut short when I felt a palm strike me right across my face. The pain lingered when the hand left my cheek, leaving a tingling and burning sensation. My body was frozen for a few seconds and then I looked to see who hit me.

"Itachi...?" I choked with wide eyes.

His face did not change expression, and he merely said, "You disappointed me." He then said to the both of us, "We're leaving now. Get your bags ready."

Itachi made his way inside the hotel and Deidara eyed me.

"You know what you did wrong, don't you?" Deidara asked with a cocky smirk across his face.

I quickly looked down and felt like my heart had burst into different directions. "I... didn't follow the mission."

"Good you got that, yeah," Deidara nodded. He shook me by the shoulder and pushed me inside in a friendly yet aggressive manner. I was then told to transform back into my original body, and pack all of my things within a few minutes.

* * *

We walked out of the village with ease, and I was still surprised we had not been questioned of our appearance. Nonetheless, our journey back to the hideout began silent. All we could hear were the various sounds of the forest and our footsteps. Itachi had not looked at me once after slapping me.

I felt guilty. I really shouldn't have gone against Itachi's plan... I was just beginning to gain a mutual trust in him, and I ruined it. Stupid Nerine. Stupid... stupid... stupid...

"We're resting here," Itachi said after a whole day of soundless hiking.

Breaking my negative thoughts, we placed our bags against the tree and Itachi set up a fire. Deidara and I leaned against a log and Itachi sat on the opposite side, sitting against a tree.

All he did was look at the fire, not even seeming to be tired.

"You shouldn't let him get to you, yeah," Deidara whispered.

I jumped at his sudden conversation towards me. "I didn't... I'm not letting it get to me."

"Is that why you haven't said anything since he bitch-slapped you?" He rested his arms behind his neck as he stated his observation.

I turned my head the other way and grimaced. "...It doesn't matter, Deidara."

He gave a loud and dramatic sigh, enough to make Itachi glance at us. Deidara smirked as he said, "Do you have a crush on Itachi or something?"

"What!" My head turned around so quickly I felt a crack. I yelped as I grabbed the sudden stiffness in my neck. I glared at Deidara as he stifled a laugh.

"Oh... so you do, yeah?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, I don't!" I gripped the pain harder and contemplated in hitting him. "I see him as a respectable man now, and that's all."

"So that's why you keep on looking at him this entire trip, nothing more?"

"Of course!"

"Well, there should be no harm if I vaguely remember, a girl Itachi had come to the hideout. She was a very beautiful woman, much more 'developed' than your puny little ass, yeah. Anyway, I recall her and Itachi going into his room and..." Deidara chuckled. "I can say for sure, you could hear her moans all the way downstairs, loud and clear, yeah."

My eyes widened and I felt my head turn hot at the thought of Itachi having sex with another girl. Was this jealousy or was I just taken aback at such a confronting image?

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I struggled to turn my head to see who it was. Of course... It was Itachi.

"Come with me," He ordered.

"Ehhh, that's gross, Itachi," Deidara nonchalantly whined, leaving perverted thoughts loitering in the air.

Itachi sent him a subtle glare as he helped me up. I was worried about what he wanted to see me about in private. I figured he would've apologised about hitting me, but then again, I would be the one more at fault.

He led me a bit of distance away from Deidara and then he grabbed the pain in my neck.

"Ow!"

He then began rubbing it, and I immediately felt my cheeks heat up as he touched me.

"Why must you strain yourself all the time...?" Itachi murmured, sighing as he unknotted the muscles on my neck. "You should know that although you're making good progress in your training, you're still lacking concentration."

Concentration... I remember when Sasuke was the cause of my lack of it. Is it still now or has it changed?

"I'm sorry," I quietly said as I looked the other way.

"Is it because of your brother?"

"Probably."

He sighed, but it was completely the opposite of how Deidara's sounded like. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Perhaps it was a mistake asking for you to join me."

"Why me?" This question escaped my lips before I could stop it. "I'm not as important to Naruto as Sakura... Kakashi, even. Did you choose me because I was the weakest one?"

"It's purely coincidental that you weren't the strongest one in the team," He admitted with no care. "The point being, is that I don't need Kakashi, or Sakura."

I absent-mindedly muttered, "Sakura's much prettier, you'd probably be less irritated with her than you get with me... Besides you have lots of girls to choose from to get intimate with."

Itachi looked as if he was trying not to roll his eyes at my behaviour. "What Deidara said was a lie. He's being an idiot..." So I guess he was really pretending to not hear our conversation. "What I'm telling you is that you have to work on focusing on what your goal is. What is your goal?" He said this as he continued to massage my neck.

"I... don't know..." I was far too confused to answer properly. "I don't know why I'm here."

"If you don't know why you're here, why have you stuck around for so long?"

"I don't..." I clenched my fists. "Stop asking me these questions!"

"All I'm doing is trying to find a root to why you're like this; why you're so unsettled about everything."

"Well, stop!" I slapped his hand away from my skin and turned around to glare at him. "This is all because of you! You were the one who got me into this situation in the first place! I never wanted to go against my own home village and against the only family I have left. I am not like you or Sasuke, I am just a 15 year old girl that was left heartbroken by your little brother, and now my feelings are getting fucked around by, of all people, YOU!"

I felt like I'd said that in one breath, and my whole thinking process flew out the window. I just let whatever words come to mind run out of my mouth without considering the consequences. It was only when I saw Itachi almost looking astonished (as much as a rogue Uchiha could) that I took a moment to apprehend what I just yelled at him.

He sent me a cautious look. "So this is what you were thinking this whole time?"

"I don't know!" I grabbed my hair, ruining my neat ponytail. "I didn't even know I thought all of that, I just—!"

"It's a foolish thing to bottle up your emotions."

I stopped trying to defend myself and closed my eyes. My eyebrows furrowed together and I exhaled; an attempt to let out my stress. Why was I so strained?

Itachi's deep voice was suddenly closer and he said, "I'm glad you've finally let that all out now."

I opened my eyes and looked upon his tall figure. "Why, because you now know how pathetic my thoughts and I really are?"

"No," He replied, "Because I can now let you know why I chose you to be here with no lingering questions."

And that was the first real kiss I received from Itachi Uchiha.

* * *

_The reviews I got for the last chapter really made me happy and you have no idea how much it makes me smile. Please continue doing that, tell me what you like and whatnot. Thanks and please, please keep on reviewing._


	14. Chapter 14

**Nerine**

Itachi's lips were chapped but they weren't very dry for long. His hands were tightly pressed against my cheeks and my own were hanging by my body's sides. My eyes were wide open as his were closed gently. It was as if only one of us were putting the effort into this moment of intimacy, until I responded. Ever so slowly, one of my palms had touched his arm and my vision had shut.

At first I didn't know how to react, I mean, this was completely unlike Itachi to be so passionate over one thing. This man had killed his own clan, for fucks sake. How could he possibly have any sort of good intentions behind this kiss?

Maybe Itachi wasn't such a bad guy. Maybe he killed his clan for another reason than as I've heard, 'to test his abilities'. I may be getting delusional but it's scary kissing a man who has murdered his own family and left the village. Then again, I did kiss Sasuke, albeit he didn't kill his family but is now after killing the remainder of it.

Itachi said there would be no lingering questions but there were so many in my mind that I didn't know which one to say first.

I lightly pushed him away, and with a bewildered look on my face, I mumbled, "I... How... Why...?"

"I guess I was wrong," Itachi said about his previous statement. "To put it in the simplest terms..."

He wants to use me?

He only wants to have my body?

He needs to let out some sort of sexual tension?

"You've made me want to protect you."

"No, I'm not going to have sex with—!" My eyes went wide. "Huh?"

This is not Itachi.

"What... did you do with Itachi?" I peered at him. "Itachi has no feelings for anyone. He is a heartless man who killed his own family... He... Itachi isn't a man who feels for another. You... are not him," I murmured in obvious denial.

"I know," He replied calmly. He supposedly wasn't affected at all at my insults towards him. "Truth be told, I am not a man who becomes drawn to a woman, mainly because that sort of thing is..." His eyebrows were drawn together, creating a frown on his face.

He didn't know which word to use without being offensive in some way or another, so he left that sentence as it was, and it was followed by an awkward silence.

"Since when?" I asked.

"Is the answer even going to help you?" Itachi replied, "It doesn't matter."

"This just seems like something you wouldn't do," I stated. "You don't..."

"I'm not going to tell you the truth. But what you should know is that I am a human, and I am much more than a murderer of my own family."

I lifted my hand and brushed my lips lightly. I said, "This is wrong."

Itachi, as always, didn't show any change in emotion. "Everything I've done is."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry," I stepped back. "I can't do this."

I had a sense of feeling that Itachi wanted to say something. After a few hesitant seconds, he did. "Is it Sasuke?"

"The whole reason I came here in the first place was because of him."

"So that means that you still have feelings for my brother?"

"Not... not necessarily," I shook my head, taking another step back. I didn't want to get him angry. "I just don't think I should get involved... like this." I didn't even know if I made sense.

"I expected that," Itachi closed his eyes and walked back to the camp. As he passed me, he laid his hand on my shoulder. His lips parted and he looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped. Itachi continued walking back. "We're leaving in the morning so get some rest."

* * *

Four days had gone without me talking to Itachi. I was in my room and I stared at the ceiling for hours until someone interjected.

"Have you realised how you're so unable to make up your mind lately?" Deidara nudged me as he took a seat next to me on my bed.

His body had shifted the bed sheets, and I almost rolled over towards him at his sudden movement. "I don't know who I am."

"It's kind of annoying," He smirked, allowing himself to then lie beside me.

"Normally I would hit you for insulting me, but I have to agree," I sighed. "I need help."

"You're not the only one," Deidara shook his head. "You're in an organisation of insane criminals, for God's sake, yeah."

My eyes were half shut when I said, "It's as if I'm a completely different character around each person I know that I don't know which one is the real me."

"Well, what were you like before you came here?"

"I guess... Quiet?" I thought hard about how I acted around the Hidden Leaf. "I was too busy making sure my brother was living healthily. I always obeyed my superiors, which was basically everyone."

"Everyone was your superior?" Deidara snickered. "What are you, a genin?"

"I certainly was not able to pass the chunnin exam. I barely made it through the Forest of Death thanks to my team."

"I can't believe Itachi suggested in you coming here, you seem pretty useless."

"Why would he suggest me?"

Deidara raised an eyebrow at me, saying, "You haven't noticed our numbers decreasing? We needed new members, stat, so basically all of the best criminals around the world have joined, and are dying, so Leader wanted us to find suitable candidates, yeah."

"So that's why...?" I whispered.

"I'm confused why he picked you, though. If he hadn't trained you, you would've been a complete waste here."

I wondered what triggered him supposedly wanting to 'protect me'. I sat up.

"Deidara, I have a secret to tell you."

He sat up with me and listened intently. "I'm all ears, yeah."

I turned to him seriously and said, "But you cannot breathe a word to anyone. I'm telling you this so that I don't have to explain myself later."

"Go on..."

"Actually..." My eyes wandered around the room. "Recently Itachi has told me something..."

"He sees you as 'more' than a 15 year old girl?"

"No! Wait, uh..." Delayed, I then nodded slowly.

"I think we could all tell as soon as he wanted to take you under his wing."

"I should go talk to him... I didn't respond very well to what he told me."

He shrugged. "I don't really care but I think you should really get your thoughts together, yeah."

"What is there to think about?" I defended.

"Okay," He sighed, moving closer to me. "Truthfully, what do you think of your brother?"

"Um," I sent him a confused look and answered, "The last of my family." I thought about Kakashi and our last encounter, and I was worried if it was the final time I would see him. "...I don't want him hurt by anything... but I guess I shouldn't be saying that if I've been the one hurting him this entire time."

"Eh... Sasuke Uchiha?"

"My..." What was he to me? He was no longer a lover, no longer a comrade, but I'm sure he wasn't my enemy. "Sasuke's... a... former acquaintance."

"Nothing more?" He suspected a lie in my sentence.

"N...Nothing more," I sighed.

"Now, yeah, what do you think of our Itachi Uchiha?"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know if I wanted to answer.

Deidara hit the back of my head and grunted, "Spit it out!"

"I don't know!" I smacked his hand away from me and glared at him. "Itachi's... I don't know."

He did his dramatic sigh and fell back on the bed. "You're damn hopeless, yeah."

I kicked his leg out of the way and I got up, brushed my dress off and left the room. I made my way down the hallway and tapped Itachi's door lightly. It was barely audible. I knocked a little harder and the door opened. I looked at the door handle and realised the door wasn't locked nor closed. I peeked inside the room and slowly made my way in.

Where was Itachi?

I winced as bumped into a table, which made me look down to curse the inanimate object. Grabbing my hip in pain, my eyes skimmed over the objects that were spread across the desk top; papers on top of papers, ink brushes and pens.

Something caught my vision: the word '_Uchiha_'.

I mumbled the word as my hands moved all papers aside except for that. Reading the information on it, my lips parted and a small gasp followed.

'_Susanoo – materialise chakra, sword strikes – trapped in a genjutsu, seals anything that is hit, invincible._

_Battle begins on June 16__th__ at Uchiha Compound'_

Who would he meet at the Uchiha compound...? My heart had skipped a beat when I'd realised.

"Sasuke...? Itachi's going to fight Sasuke?" I questioned this paper. I shook my head and yelled out, "Itachi!" Was he here?

With the paper in hand, I also grabbed a map. I then ran out of his room and grabbed my own bag, stuffing as much weapons and essentials into it. Deidara wasn't in the room anymore to question my motives. I didn't know what I was doing, but for all I really knew, I'd wanted this fight to stop.

I packed food pills and as I was about to leave my room I bumped into a towering person.

"Zetsu," I breathed with only a bit of shock.

He gave me a look of concerned after his eyes grazed my backpack. "Where are you going?"

"No where."

"I assume you will be going to the Uchiha compound now," He guessed.

Gulping, I nodded. "You can't stop me."

"That's not what I'm here for," Zetsu closed his eyes before continuing his sentence. "I'm informing the Leader that Itachi has already begun a battle between Sasuke Uchiha."

"Already!"

Nudging the plant monster aside, I made my way to the door and ran as fast as I could out of the Rain Village, and towards the Uchiha compound.

Who did I want to stop?

Sasuke or Itachi?

I still had no idea.

* * *

_Thanks for reading, please review because it really helps me write more. Thank you._


	15. Chapter 15

"My foolish brother," Itachi's voice echoed through the empty room.

Sasuke looked upon his older brother and sent him the deadliest glare he had. "Itachi..."

"Before you begin your rampage, little brother, what's the reason of you being here?" Itachi tilted his head knowingly.

"The reason...!" Sasuke gripped onto his katana, immediately labelling his brother as an idiot. "You killed everything! You cannot get away with what you've done."

"And?"

Sasuke realised what Itachi wanted him to say. He narrowed his eyes his eyes and growled, "She isn't..."

"Sasuke," Itachi began, "Months ago you had her right beneath your arms. You even stripped her of her dignity. She was yours. And I took her."

Drawing his katana out slightly, Sasuke grunted, "What's your point?"

An almost unseeable smirk fell onto Itachi's lips. "Do your poor attempts of defence mean that you don't wish to fight for Nerine?"

"Tch," Sasuke spat. "She isn't concerned with this."

"Then I'll gladly keep her all to myself."

_"I'd let him touch every last inch on my body because I want all of him inside me."_ Remembering the words Nerine told Sasuke before she vanished, he deepened his glare towards Itachi. "She wouldn't want to stay with you."

"That's right," Itachi retorted sarcastically. "She'd never want to stay with me after our intimacy."

He hissed, "Itachi!" Sasuke's foot left the ground, and the battle begun.

* * *

Nerine dashed through the thick amounts of forest as if her life depended on it. She hastily studied the map as she dodged branches ahead of her. Once getting a subtle idea of which route she was taking, she gulped down a food pill and increased her speed. She planned that nothing would get in the way of her stopping this fight. Nerine only wanted both of the Uchiha boys to be safe.

It felt like hours had passed when more and more scratches and cuts developed on Nerine's body. With the speed she was racing at and the number of strong branches that continued to collide against her, it was no surprise that she had damaged her body in the process.

She neared the Uchiha compound; she felt a small ray of hope as she caught a glimpse of the rooftops. As she made a halt on top of a building, she fell over, bruising her arms and legs some more.

"Nerine?" A voice above her questioned. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Looking up, she mumbled, "Kisame..." His presence proved that Itachi had to be nearby.

"Who the hell is this!" A girl's voice growled.

As Nerine stood, she was faced with three people, a woman with red hair and glasses, a man with white hair and a sword seemingly the same size as Kisame's and another man with orange hair, who was so towering, he was taller than Kisame. Nerine felt like a dwarf.

Kisame snickered, "Nerine, you should go back to the hideout."

She lifted her head and gave him a glare, "Where are they?"

"I'm not letting you in," He shook his head, pushing her back a few steps. "Itachi's orders."

"Who's the midget?" The boy with the sword spoke up, looking at me up and down.

I turned to him and felt my anger boiling. Sending him the same glare I gave to Kisame.

"Whoa," He stepped back. "I take it back, she's quite cute!"

I went back to Kisame and pushed him by the chest. "Tell me where they are."

Kisame did take a few steps back, and as he brushed off his cloak he commented, "You are getting stronger but don't think that you can easily defeat me."

Nerine was about to snap back with an insult but all of this was interrupted with the building a few hundred metres away collapsing. The rooftop began falling apart, and from a distance, she recognised two figures. Both men panted from their loss of energy and clearly had wounds from each other.

"No..." She murmured.

Black flames ensued, the cause being Sasuke, and they were impossible to extinguish. From this point on, Nerine had completely forgotten her surroundings, and clutched onto her cloak. If she ran into the fight, surely, she would've been killed. What could she have done? She was nowhere near to the fighting standards of the Uchiha brothers. She would've been interfering in their long hate for each other. Easily they would have killed her with no second thought.

An hour passed by, and Nerine's eyes were only focused on the two, praying that none would be killed. That is, until, she saw something develop. It was something huge... something terrifying. Dark orange chakra moulded into this large, abominable creature and it loomed over Itachi.

She began shaking her head. _'Susanoo – materialise chakra, sword strikes – trapped in a genjutsu, seals anything that is hit, invincible.'_

"I can't just watch this..." Nerine breathed. "Itachi... don't..." Every time Itachi took a step closer to the cornered Sasuke, she felt her heart beat slower. Nerine yelped, "ITACHI! STOP IT!"

* * *

A young girl's voice was faintly heard between the two boys, _"Itachi! Stop it!"_

Sasuke was out of chakra and his cursed seal was no longer able to activate. Itachi trudged slow and took dizzy steps towards his brother, holding his hand out. This time, Sasuke had no second plan, he was all done. His back hit the cold stone wall and his hands gripped onto it. His heart raced as his brother was only a foot away. Sasuke's eyes widened even more when he encountered an unexpected moment from his brother.

Itachi gave him a real, genuine smile.

"Forgive me Sasuke... It ends with this..."

Two blood filled fingers tapped Sasuke's forehead and then slid down his face until Itachi's body fell to the ground. Sasuke stood with shock as he still breathed.

* * *

**Nerine**

I saw Itachi fall to the ground, and I lost myself.

"ITACHI!" My scream was heard through to the heavens as I threw Kisame's guarding arms to the side and ran towards Itachi.

Dodging what black flames there were, I instantly rolled Itachi's body over, and with shaky hands, I cradled him in my lap. My hands couldn't stop trembling as I slapped his cheek. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Itachi's eyes were half-lidded and I leaned over to listen to his chest. I waited, waited and waited... until softly... a beat. I gasped, sitting back up; I grabbed his face and cried, "Can you hear me? Listen to me!"

Itachi's eyes, still almost shut, looked up at me. "Your lips are shaking," His voice was raspy and quiet.

"I'm sorry, Itachi," My bottom lip did quiver. "I'm sorry for everything." Automatically, I grabbed his hand and placed it against my own cheek. "I promise that if you stay alive we'll protect each other from now on, okay?"

He shook his head. "I don't—"

"Stop talking! Don't waste your energy!" My voice cracked. I held the side of his head in my lap. Blood rushed to my face as my vision became blurred. "Fuck..."

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and held on tighter to Itachi. "I should have listened to everything that you said, I..." Then I choked on more tears. "Damn it!"

"Nerine," Itachi's voice was like a whisper. "I need your forgiveness too."

"You're forgiven! You're forgiven!" I sobbed. "Stop talking like this!"

Through my hazed eyesight, I saw Itachi give me a small smile. It wasn't sinister or deceiving like it usually was. It was a smile of happiness. Itachi then listened to me. He stopped talking. His body relaxed onto mine and a small wisp of air escaped his mouth. Itachi's eyes stared into nothing and he was still.

In a shaky breath, I said, "Itachi?"

He gave me no response. I opened my hands a little and his palm immediately dropped out of my grip. I cringed and lay my head against his chest. I quietly sobbed until I felt the need to scream. Sitting back up, I glared at the other Uchiha. Sasuke was still standing, emotionless from his experience.

Giving him a glare, I yelled, "Why! Why..." I sniffled, bowing my head to look back at Itachi. I regret even bothering with Sasuke. I didn't have anything to tell him off for. Sasuke was not at fault.

I could feel Itachi's temperature drop as my hand grazed his face. My tears rolled down slowly and fell onto his cheeks.

A shinobi must never show emotion... But I cried, I cried and I cried some more. So what does that make me?

* * *

_It had to happen... Reviews? I'd like to know your reactions._


	16. Chapter 16

**Sasuke**

'_Where am I?'_ I sat up; realising that I was in an eerie room surrounding me. The last thing I could remember was collapsing next to Itachi... and Nerine.

Nerine... she cradled Itachi like he was her lover. She cared so much for his death that she wept uncontrollably. So it made me wonder if their relationship had turned personal. It was perhaps the last thing I needed to know about, so I forced myself to think of her as unimportant.

Suddenly, my left eye was in unruly pain. It felt like my eye had been stung by a million wasps and I had this need to tear it out to stop it from killing me. I bent over in the bed I was in, and grabbed the throbbing area on my face. I heard a noise and a figure stepped out of the shadows. Almost removing his orange-swirled mask, I met one of his eyes. It was the sharingan. I reacted to the sudden movement by facing towards that direction, and a surge of power concentrated from my eye.

What was it? I wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it caused the same type of black flames that Itachi used to attack the masked man. That recognisable man retreated into the darkness to extinguish the flames, and after recovering, he returned.

His voice was deep, and he spoke words that had a hint of knowledge behind them. "You collapsed not long after battling Itachi Uchiha."

"What do you want from me?" I glared at him, not trusting him one bit.

"I'm here to tell you the truth," He replied, booming voice echoing the small room. "That your brother did all of this to protect you."

**Nerine**

Madara had transported us to yet another dark room. I refused to let go of Itachi, so there I was, sitting in the corner of the same room as Sasuke rested. Itachi was with me, his body comfortably (I assumed) spread onto the ground with his head resting on my lap. I did not want to let him out of my sight any longer, even if he had no life in him. Was I going over the edge? Perhaps, but I didn't care. His body was growing stiff... and cold.

The entire time I listened in on Madara and Sasuke's conversation; the Uchiha clan's history, Itachi's true intentions and the superiors of Konoha, and how they chose Itachi to annihilate his entire clan for the village's safety. I was already told of Itachi's entire objective as Sasuke rested... and to hear it again broke my heart.

I closed my eyes as Madara spoke of the same things he told me. I clutched onto Itachi's stained garments and took a deep breath to suppress the upcoming tears.

As Madara talked, Sasuke constantly fought back. He yelled at him to shut up and to leave him alone. He refused to listen to what he had to say. I believed what Madara told me right from the beginning. It showed that I either had absolutely no doubt in Itachi from the start, or that I wanted to hear that his death was not done for treacherous reasons.

To be honest I did hesitate to the back story of Itachi, seeing as he didn't hesitate to kill many people. But then again, I had a sense of safety around him... I didn't know what I was thinking anymore. My thoughts weren't making any sense.

When Madara had finished, Sasuke's distressed expression faced me; I thought he hadn't noticed me in the room.

"Did you know about this?" He questioned.

With a wavering answer, I said, "I only found out not too long ago."

Sasuke's eyes lowered onto his brother's body, still limply lying against me. He glared for a moment, but his eyes softened with confusion. "Itachi... He's evil—!"

"No, he isn't." I finally interjected between their conversations. My voice croaked when I looked back down at Itachi's inert body. "Itachi... He was willing to take a weakling like me under his wing... He is not a bad man..."

Sasuke grunted as he listened to my protests. "Why do you care about him so much?"

"Because...!" And then I couldn't find the answer to that question.

_Why did I care about Itachi? Was it only because he looked after my abilities when no one else did? Everyone was too busy to train me... yet he sacrificed his efforts for me. Maybe I spent so much time with him that I looked up to him. He was my refuge... He was..._

"Nerine," Sasuke called out again, "What was Itachi to you?"

"Itachi..." I began quietly, pushing back a few strands of hair across his delicate face. I found my answer. "He was my master."

**Madara**

I looked over at Nerine. She caressed the dead Uchiha like a lover, yet at the same time, she looked hesitant as if she were a stranger. I gave an audible sigh, and turned towards her.

"Nerine," I called.

She looked up carefully. She looked like a lost puppy without her supposed 'master'. "What?" She replied, a protective arm clung around Itachi's neck.

"You shouldn't associate with us any longer," I told her simply.

"What... Why?" Her expression became bewildered.

I shook my head and said, "Itachi would not want you in dangerous hands like my own. Now that he's gone, no one will train you. No one will look after you. No one will protect you."

Nerine cringed, and I noticed her grip on Itachi's cloak tighten. "No one protects each other on this side of the ninja world. I am not as incapable as you think, Madara."

"I doubt that you're able to keep your skills levelled with Sasuke or myself."

"I never said that I could. I'm saying that I know I'm worth more than you think."

"Then I doubt you can prove that..."

She grimaced and muttered, "I... I have nowhere else to go. Just let me stay..."

I glanced at Sasuke, who was now staring at Nerine. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw her head bow; a quiet sniffling was heard under her voice. Sasuke glared at me, and demanded one thing:

"Nerine is going to stay."

"Hm," I grunted. "She won't be very useful. She'll hinder your goals."

Then, I felt a spark of honesty behind Sasuke's words. It was like he had no intention on holding back these words, or rather, his pride seemed to be shot down by saying these types of things, and he didn't care.

"A goal doesn't hinder a goal."

It took me a moment. Then I chucked deeply. "You Uchiha boys seem to have a strong liking to her. It's concerning."

Nerine... she's weak. She isn't very strong or stable. She has too many attachments and that deters her from focusing on anything. Then again, I'm going to have to take her in if I want Sasuke on my side. I'm just going to have to make use of her somehow.

My hand tapped the side of my pocket. I felt a small item – a box. Pulling it out, I realised what I was meant to do with it. I'd been given it from Itachi before he left to battle Sasuke. He only told me to give it to Nerine when it was all over. With the one eyehole I had, I studied the small brown box. It was only made out of worn out cardboard, and all its edges looked frayed. I had a good feeling about what was inside.

I took slow strides over to Nerine, as if I aimed not to scare her away. After telling her the entire story of Itachi, I'm sure she would've feared my presence even a little bit. Nerine looked up and rubbed her eyes quickly as I spoke to her.

I crouched down to her level, and over Itachi's body, I said, "I originally wasn't planning on giving this to you, but Itachi gave me this. He told me to give it to you after it was over."

I took her hand, and in it, I placed the box.

**Nerine**

A long silence filled the room as soon as the petite box fell into my hand.

"What is this?" I questioned, a frowning face falling towards Madara.

He stood back up to retreat back to his position a few feet away. "Simply something Itachi wanted to give you."

I gazed at the package for a while, thinking that if I opened it, it would be a life changing moment. Tentatively, I lifted the lid of the box and gulped as I peered inside. A small note covered its matter.

"_Happy birthday."_

A small gasp went through my lips, and I cursed. "Fuck... he remembered..." Tears jerked at my eyes as I moved the message to the side, to reveal his gift.

His Akatsuki ring.

* * *

_Such a short chapter. :| Sorry about that, please review._


	17. Chapter 17

The air smelt of sea salt. Six people gathered at the edge of a rocky cliff; Sasuke standing the closest to the ocean. Nerine stood by Madara, purposely distancing herself from the strangers that accompanied Sasuke up to this point. She almost hid her presence as everyone stood in silence.

Sasuke felt a heart wrenching feeling come over him and openly allowed his tears to fall. He cringed with regret and clenched his fists. Everyone there could tell how he was feeling, but no one commented on it. A while passed until Sasuke spoke.

"We're going to destroy the Leaf village."

Nerine's heart dropped and she tugged on her sleeve as she heard this. The others merely nodded and began to take their leave. Madara gave a small nod of approval of Sasuke's next plan as he also left. Sasuke still stood by the rim of the rocks and Nerine couldn't find herself to move.

"How long do you plan on standing there?" Sasuke asked her.

"Do you really want to destroy our home...?" She felt hurt just getting the words out of her mouth.

He turned to look at her, allowing his eyes to trail down to her fingers. He saw Itachi's Akatsuki ring sit loosely on her dainty hands. Sasuke didn't know whether to be angry that she was so close to him, or to be regretful for detesting him for so long. "I don't have a home."

Nerine could already tell Sasuke was going to be irritatingly stubborn with everything she said. Sasuke then followed the others into one of the Akatsuki's many hideouts. He paused when he saw Nerine not coming with him, so he looked at her again. "Hurry up."

She gave a remorseful sigh and took small and slow steps behind him. The group took a good thirty minutes to finally reach the hideout.

* * *

**Nerine**

"So we capture the eight tails for you. Is that all?" Sasuke questioned at the head of the table.

Everyone came together in a room that was brighter than most in the Akatsuki, which was a nice change. I saw a familiar face – Kisame. It pained me knowing that he wasn't more affected with Itachi's death than I was. It seemed sad because he knew him for such a long time.

"We will make it worth your time, Sasuke," Madara spoke.

I didn't want to take part of the Akatsuki's evildoings at that point but I had nowhere else to go. I simply shook my head and left the room. I'd only been in this hideout once with Itachi to train, so I familiarised myself with the long tunnels and mazes. I found the room I'd last camped myself in and made myself comfortable on the small bed. I closed my eyes and dreamt of awful images.

* * *

My eyes opened to the sound of someone knocking on the door twice. I sat up and cautiously mumbled, "Come in."

Of course, it was Sasuke. Who else would want to visit me?

"What do you need?" I asked.

Closing the door behind him, he told me, "I want to talk about him."

I confess I had a small type of resentment towards Sasuke, even though it wasn't particularly his fault Itachi died. "Right..."

With an irritated grunt, he took a seat beside me on the bed and said, "I want you to tell me what exactly happened between you and my brother."

I stared at him for a long time and all I could honestly see was Itachi. Itachi, Itachi, Itachi. Sasuke had the same eyes, same nose, same lips... I gave a small smile as the familiar image took place. "You look so much like him."

He grimaced and turned away, out of my sight. He seemed insulted. "You weren't intimate with him, were you?"

A quiet thought came to mind, saying that I should have become more intimate with him. I gave a lifeless chuckle, "No, we did not have sex, if that's what you want to know."

"You both lied after all," He sighed.

"We only kissed once properly," I admitted.

Sasuke tensed. He tried to mask his curiosity yet ended in failure. "How did it all happen?"

"What, our kiss?"

"Everything."

I could feel a bit of nostalgia crawling into my mind when I thought of how long I'd spent with Itachi. "Oh... Itachi looked after me and I was very thankful... Wouldn't it be inevitable for me to fall in love with a man who gives up his time to make the best out of me?"

"You fell in love with him," Sasuke made this a statement rather than a question. He didn't look at me; he still stared at the ground. "Tch."

His sudden movement from sitting on the bed to standing rocked my position slightly and I fell out of balance. I touched the wall beside me to keep from falling. I stared up at his broad back and didn't say a word.

"We're leaving for the Leaf tomorrow morning. You better be ready," He ordered as he took his steps towards the door.

"Wait," I halted him as I flipped the thin and mouldy sheets off my body. "I never agreed to your plan with the village."

"Then what do you plan on doing if you're not going with me?" Sasuke gave me a hard glare. It was as if he was demanding me to come with him.

"Well..." I tried to think of an excuse on what I'd be doing. "I'll stay at this hideout. Maybe I'll travel back to the hideout in the Rain and obey the orders of my Leader there."

His judgemental stare scanned my eyes as he commented, "Do what you want then."

Then he turned around and exited my room.

* * *

The entire night was spent awake. I used it planning out what I could possibly do if I didn't want to join Sasuke in his vengeance trip. I considered going back to the Rain but some sort of doubt was stopping me. There were no clocks in my room to tell how long I'd been sleepless for, but I assumed enough time had passed for Sasuke to be wide awake and ready for his long trek.

"I should at least wish them a safe trip..." I mumbled to myself. I had the temptation to come out and see him so I used this as an excuse. "He is, after all... Itachi's brother."

So I took myself outside in the hallways, slowly leading myself to the exit. I looked at the dim halls and the stone surroundings. It was so bleak. I could see something move in the distance and my heart skipped a beat, thinking it was an attacker.

"Are you awake because you want to join me?" Sasuke's voice called out to me.

I sighed, relieving myself of any danger... more or less. "Actually, I just wanted to say... stay safe." By the time I finished that sentence, Sasuke had already brought himself to me.

He scoffed as he reached within arms length to me. "I'm more capable to handle things than you think."

"I wasn't implying that I don't believe your capabilities, Sasuke," I huffed.

"Then what?"

"I just don't want anymore friends of mine to die," I glared at him for his stubbornness.

It was like something in Sasuke snapped and he grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to take a step closer to him.

"Have you forgotten everything that we've done or were you planning on branding me as your 'friend' forever?" Sasuke's stare was threatening. He was very pissed.

He wasn't the only one. "Have you forgotten that I was in love with your brother, or are you going to be selfish with your own needs?"

"Selfish? You want to talk about selfish with me!" Sasuke argued back at me.

"What are you accusing me of? Aren't you the one who left the village to satisfy your own desires?" I scowled as his grip on me went tighter. He couldn't find the words to come back at me. "I thought so."

I tried pushing his hands off my body, but he refused on it. He said, "I'm not going to let go."

It took me a few moments to muster a sentence. "...What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke changed his usual hard and serious exterior to an expression of confusion. "Shit."

With a pained face, he then willingly released my body and walked off towards the exit. I remembered that the other members of his platoon must've been waiting for him. I almost felt hurt that he would walk away with no other words to say. No thanks for wishing him to be safe, no goodbyes either.

"Sasuke!" I turned around and called out his name. I could hear a tinge of desperation in my voice.

He faced me as he was almost at the end of the hallway. "I can't do this, Nerine."

"You can't do what?"

Sasuke appeared to have trouble finding the right words to say. He was frustrated. "When it comes to you, I can't be myself. I just don't have the time to be stumbling into these moments when I could be out there killing the man who destroyed my brother's life."

"I don't think that's my fault, Sasuke," I scrutinized his response.

I could tell, despite the distance between us, that he furrowed his eyebrows. Sasuke brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it lightly. He looked up and gave me the same aggrieved face he had as he let go of me.

"I lost you."

* * *

_Oh lord I'm so sorry I abandoned this story for such a long time, I've had a lot of assignments to do and exams to study for. Please forgive me by leaving a review? Haha thanks for reading._


	18. Chapter 18

**Nerine**

A week had gone by and I took myself to the Hidden Village in the Rain. I comforted myself with the familiar surroundings of the cold and dark hideout. Although it was my home for a while, it felt so empty now. The number of members had dwindled down to Leader, Konan, Kisame, Zetsu, Madara and finally, me. It sounded like a handful but compared to before it's now all bare. I missed everyone.

I was sitting by myself in the kitchen at this time of the day. I didn't have any reason being there, I just... needed to waste time. Other times I would train, other times I would be in my own space. Either way, I found myself lonely. It was this day that I saw Leader leaving the hideout with Konan, and five other Akatsuki-cloaked people. I was never aware of these others... but they all looked exactly the same as Leader but with a few modifications.

I stood up from my chair and ran up to my superiors. 'What's going on? Where are you going?"

Konan looked at Leader, and I could trace a tiny bit of her hesitation. She looked down at me from her height and said, "You do not need to know."

"You will only trouble yourself if you join us," Leader spoke.

"Trouble myself?" I echoed. "I have been sitting alone in this hideout for a week doing nothing but train. I don't care if it troubles me, I will follow you."

"Your loyalty to us has wavered many times, Nerine. I don't believe there's much of a reason for us to believe you," Leader replied. "I also know for a fact that you will turn against us on this mission."

"I wouldn't turn against you..." I mumbled.

"Tell me, why have you returned to the Rain?" He asked me in a defying tone.

I remembered Sasuke's words. I grimaced as I repeated his words, "Sasuke is going to destroy the Leaf Village."

Leader didn't say anything else and he exited the hideout. My eyes widened and I yelled out the entrance, "You're going to destroy the Leaf?"

A quiet scoff came from him. "No matter what you do, you will not be able to stop us."

That, ultimately, was true. I was no match for him.

Konan sighed, "The most you can do now is conform, Nerine. You've stuck yourself into a rut and you'll stay like that forever until you decide on following someone. You only have one choice at this point."

She waited a few seconds for my decision. I stood at the entrance, clutching onto the walls in anxiety. Konan rolled her eyes as she turned around, continuing to get to their destination.

In defeat, I sighed, "Wait..."

* * *

With the few days it took for us to travel, we prepared ourselves for the first attack against the Leaf. I wasn't told anything about why Leader had five copies of himself, all in different forms. They didn't indulge me in many details, except that the reason they were going to attack was to capture the nine-tailed beast. I don't blame them though, the only reason I came along with them is so that I wouldn't be forever stuck in the hideout. If I didn't join them, it would've only been a matter of time until I left the place, in search for some other occupation... And to be honest I was far too afraid to take up a new world of homelessness after just getting used to this world of darkness.

We stood by the border of Konoha, and Leader prepared for the beginning of his attack. "Nerine, this is your time to prove your loyalty to our organisation. Might I remind you that even if you turn against us, we'll kill you, alright?"

I gulped down my sanity and nodded. "I understand."

Leader darkly stated, "Let the rampage begin."

* * *

Nerine watched the citizens of her home village scamper in terror, only the ninja staying back to fight. Buildings were being destroyed, roofs were collapsing onto people. She watched from the Leaf's high up viewing point, grimacing at everything that was being obliterated. Everyone was screaming and the floor below her rumbled as heavy structures tumbled down.

"How did I get to this...?" She questioned herself.

"You..." A voice behind her spoke.

Nerine took out her tanto and held her stance as she turned around. Her determination dithered as she faced her old friend, Shikamaru.

Gripping onto her weapons, she said, "It's been a while."

"That cloak..." Shikamaru analysed her figure. He then shook his head in disappointment. "You're like the second Sasuke."

I glared at him. "I am nobody's second."

Shikamaru grabbed a kunai and muttered, "I ain't here to fight you, Nerine... but what you're doing to our village is something I have to punish you for."

"Come ahead and try then," Nerine taunted. She didn't want the others to think that she was still the same useless girl who ran away. She wanted to show everyone that she was stronger than before, enough to be on Akatsuki level. Nerine hoped she was.

Shikamaru smirked, throwing a kunai at her. She dodged with ease, and allowed the lightning spark through her fingers. She ran towards Shikamaru, yet vanished as soon as she was an inch away from his face. Shikamaru attacked where she was positioned before she disappeared, and he groaned. Looking around, he searched for her chakra.

"Behind!" He yelled, stabbing Nerine as she attacked his back.

Suddenly, Shikamaru felt a sharp pain in both his feet. He looked at Nerine, seeing her blast in smoke.

"A clone?" Shikamaru exclaimed, then feeling a wave of electricity flow through his body. Shikamaru examined his feet, seeing two blades piercing through them.

Nerine cracked the ground below him, revealing her hiding place. She jumped back in place, nonchalantly dusting off her cloak. She then peered at Shikamaru.

"Lightning Release: Temporary Paralysis," Nerine mumbled.

The shock increased in Shikamaru's body and he couldn't move an inch of his body. Taking her tanto out of his foot, she brought one to his neck. She stared deeply at his expression of pain and anger.

"What... have you... become...?" Shikamaru strained his words through his mouth.

Pressing her blade against his neck, she cringed. She scoffed, "I wish I knew."

It was a prolonged moment as she prepared herself to slice his neck. She had to keep in mind that the paralysis was temporary. Shikamaru could see the hesitation through her actions. Slowly, he fought the paralysis and took a hold of her wrist.

"Shit!" She snapped out of it, almost swiping her weapon at his face, but he stopped her.

"You're not completely sure about this, are you?" Shikamaru commented.

Nerine looked up at him and in an instant; Shikamaru could see a cry for help.

"Nerine..." He mumbled.

"Nerine," A deep voice shook the both of them.

She looked up, and saw one of her Leader's copies, jumping from a sturdy branch. The copy landed right beside Nerine and hoisted her body with her waist.

"What are you—?" Nerine yelped as her small body was being carried with one arm.

"Pain needs you," He said.

Shikamaru broke out of his paralysis and took a hold of the Pain look-alike by the shoulders. "Hey! Let her go!"

The copy simply pushed Shikamaru, and that made him skid through the ground and smash into the wall behind him. Such force petrified Nerine, but little did she know she was in for a much stronger enemy.

After the hit against Shikamaru, the copy carried Nerine over the buildings of Konoha.

"Where are you taking me?"Nerine protested as she grunted in pain from the tight grip the man held her at.

He didn't answer her. He took her to a destroyed area of the town, and in the middle stood Pain. The copy dropped her by his feet, and she groaned and was annoyed at how she was dragged there with no permission.

"Why am I here?" Nerine stared at the towering figure that was the leader of the Akatsuki.

Pain took her shoulder, and turned her around. He held her neck and lifted her off the ground. Nerine's eyes widened and she choked as her feet helplessly reached for the earth below. Her hands frantically gripped against his, lightning sparking through her palms. Granted, his clasp on her was not all that tight, rather he was just picking her up by the neck, and it hurt.

"What... Why..." She breathed.

"You will not attack against me," Pain ordered, his Rinnegan eyes sharply directing her actions.

Nerine felt like something was suddenly amiss with her body, and she could not concentrate her dealings properly.

She gasped, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I know for a fact your older brother won't attack you," Pain said as his voice had a tone of cockiness.

And in the distance, Nerine could see her older brother push remnants of buildings off his body... and he saw her with eyes confusion, heartbreak... and anger.

* * *

_I'm trying to make up for the lack of chapters... Please keep on reviewing! Thanks for reading._


	19. Chapter 19

Kakashi looked at his little sister in subtle agony. Nerine's expression was pained as her brother's eyes were slowly filled with anger.

"Ka… kashi…" Nerine choked feeling humiliated as her Leader weakened her breathing.

"How do you feel, Copycat Kakashi?" Your sibling is here in the criminal world, destroying the village she grew up in. Can you feel true pain yet?" Pain questioned the silver haired jounin.

"You let go of her right now," Kakashi demanded.

Pain gripped onto the back of her neck tighter. "I don't know what makes you think I'll obey your orders. The only person who's been doing this is your sister, and believe me, she didn't mind."

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows, taking his opportunity to go head on towards the Leader of the Akatsuki. Pain threw Nerine to the side as if she were a mere piece of trash. She was flung against the debris of cement, certainly leaving a bruise on her back. Kakashi was being beaten up by the powerful and fiery coloured man, along with the similar body path, by the powers that Nerine had never seen before.

Pain muttered the words, "Almighty Push," and in an instant, Kakashi's body was hurled metres away from him. It was as if Pain contained some sort of force that made it almost impossible to fight against.

Nerine stood up and found her eyes met by her leader. She gulped, not sure with what to do. Pain had a knowing look across his face, and he raised his arm towards her.

Nerine froze as her brother yelled, "Don't touch her!"

His assumption was far too quick as Pain merely gave a small curl to his fingers, gesturing the young girl to return back to him. Nerine took a small sigh of relief, but she still felt tense with her brother witnessing her place herself on the wrong side of the shinobi society.

Pain was mysterious as usual, and didn't reply to anybody. He lifted his arm again and used his power to pull Kakashi in. The copy of Pain stood in front of the pair, gearing out a chainsaw-like sword. This sword was merged with this man's back, and it was very grotesque.

"What…" Nerine mumbled as her brother's body slowly raced towards the sharp edged blade. "No…!"

Kakashi was stabbed all the way through his torso, and Nerine felt panicked as she saw her brother's blood drip down the weapon. Suddenly, Kakashi's form shed into a bright and electric compound.

"It's a clone…" Nerine sighed, clutching onto her chest.

Pain looked up and the pair saw two giant fists dropping down onto them. The leader grabbed Nerine's collar quickly and jumped out of the way, avoiding the crushing contact. The copy was hit.

Nerine stared up at her leader as they backed away from the impact. She was thankful that he had bothered to save her, in actual fact. It only made her all the more confused on which side she was supporting,

"Nerine…" She sighted her old comrade, the big and hearty Chouji along with his father. "Oh… It really is true…" The boy eyed her criminal cloak.

She was pained as the number of people who found her amongst the delinquents rose. She almost felt… ashamed.

This battle between the Konoha ninja and the Leader of the Akatsuki went on for longer, Nerine feeling helpless as she stood in the background. She deflected the numerous attacks that went against her, but never tried hurting them back. She stayed away from Pain as he fought, not wanting to get in the field of his powers.

Everything was a blur to Nerine, the weapons, the people being pushed and pulled by Pain, and the heavy feeling in her heart every time she saw her former comrades get weaker by Pain's feet. Then, in an instant, a bright light shone, perhaps one of Pain's stronger pushes. Debris flew everywhere, and Nerine's eyes closed as pieces of wood and brick hit against her petite body.

She woke up to the sound of Pain's voice.

"Just to be safe, I'm not going to approach you…" He said.

She looked up from her position, not far from Pain's standing figure. Nerine saw him hold a nail in between his fingers, aiming it at her brother.

"Know pain," He uttered darkly.

Nerine's body felt weak after being crushed by her surroundings. Every muscle ached and blood seeped from her legs to her arms.

Pain threw the nail straight on to Kakashi's head.

A whirlwind of silver hair and a red and black cloak appeared in front of Kakashi, willingly allowing the nail to sink into her body before it reached him.

"Nerine…" Kakashi's voice urged through his pain as he sat crumpled within the rigid wreckage.

"I'm not surprised," Pain replied at her course of action. "I will show you what pain is."

**Nerine**

I flinched at the contact of the sharp metal to my bruised body. I glared at my former leader, saying, "I am sorry, but I can't stand by any longer."

"It was inevitable, with your willpower, that you would become a traitor to our organization. That's why you never fully became a member." He said, staring at me with an ominous vibe.

"Then... I guess I'm glad I'm no longer a part of the group that is destroying my home," I retorted back at him.

"Humph," He murmured, "Universal pull."

My body was then reeled into his hands like he was a magnet. It was as if I had wings I didn't want. He caught me by my ponytail, swiftly holding a sharp blade and slicing a large majority of my long silver hair. It fell onto the ground beside me, and he held the kunai against my neck.

"I'm not going to let you be an exception. You'll feel the same pain everyone else will feel soon."

He stood up and jumped to another location, leaving us injured and helpless. Kakashi quickly told Chouji to send a report to the Hokage, and as he ran, the copy that was assumed dead, quickly sent a missile after him. Then it grabbed my leg roughly, throwing me a dark smile. Out of instinct, I kicked him in the face after yelping of surprise. I could only assume he was knocked out after my hit.

I stood after getting the copy off my legs, then looking over at my brother. I saw a familiar glint in his eyes.

My eyes widened. "Mangekyou?" My brother had already exhausted his chakra to an ultimate low... but he was using his Mangekyou Sharingan to destroy the missile that dashed after Chouji... In the end, he's a person with everyone's good intentions.

"Kakashi!" I called out his name as I jumped to his side; his sharingan was still in full effect. "Stop using that! At this rate you'll..."

Kakashi's sharingan faded into his original onyx eye colour, and he looked at me. "I guess this is it for me."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to lose another person close to me. I refuse to believe that you're going to die!"

Maybe I'd gotten used to the pain I've been getting for the past while. With breaking attachments to Sasuke, Itachi's recent death, and now losing Kakashi... Maybe I was finding myself familiar with having the things I cherished... vanish.

Kakashi's head tilted back out of lifelessness, and closed his eyes.

* * *

_Please review, you lovely readers _


	20. Chapter 20

**Nerine**

"Kakashi?" I called his name in a nervous voice. I touched his shoulder that rose amongst the debris. "This isn't funny…"

He didn't give me any response. I closed my eyes and sighed shakily. I removed the large broken pieces of buildings to rocks surrounding his body, allowing me to pull him out of the position. His body was bruised and beaten to a pulp and it pained me to see him that way. Kakashi's lifeless body was still warm and that gave me a small ray of false hope. It was pathetic.

I held his body against mine for a few seconds, feeling his limp arms fall on me. I then stood up, taking his arm around my neck and mine around his waist. I took slow steps towards Chouji's father, who also lay still after the attack. I managed to bring his large body to lean against the opposite side of mine, though I struggled to hold two fully grown men's bodies on my small figure. I then walked in a slow pace to the hospital.

I had nothing else to do but to make sure that no more people died because of what I was a part of.

* * *

"Nerine?" A voice called my name as I walked. "W-Where are you taking pa?"

I turned my head and saw Chouji panting, with an overprotective expression. I answered, "I'm taking them both to the hospital… I'm sure the Hokage suggested that to you."

He had a face of confusion, and then he looked defensive. "Leave pa alone! I'll take him myself!"

I continued journeying to the hospital, telling him, "Go ahead and take your father. We're going to the same place anyway."

Chouji then caught up with me and took his dad's heavy body off my shoulders. I felt relief as I could walk in a slightly faster pace. I didn't know if I should've started talking to Chouji, as if it was okay to relax even though I betrayed the village for a long while.

"Say…" Chouji spoke up. "Why did you leave?"

I glanced at him and mumbled, "Personal reasons. It's in the past."

"You say it's in the past but I doubt you're going to be easily forgiven for what you've done, Nerine…" He said in a concerned tone.

"I'm aware," I replied in a quiet voice. "I doubt I'd even be allowed to stay but… I have nothing else to hope for."

We trudged up to the hospital, suddenly being faced with what seemed to be 90% of the village injured. I gulped and wondered if my brother would even be tended to with the amount of staff available. I placed Kakashi in a spare bed, kneeling beside him. I waited anxiously for someone to simply tell me that he would be taken care of. I gained many questionable stares from hospital nurses, doctors and patients, all looking at my Akatsuki cloak. Realising this, I swiftly rid myself of the attire and placed it in my lap.

"N-Nerine…" A female's voice startled me from above, after I sat quietly for twenty minutes. I lifted my head and was confronted by that familiar bubble gum pink hair. "You're… Why are you here?"

"I…" I began. I looked down at my brother and squeezed my fists in my lap. "Kakashi… needs help."

Sakura bit her lip nervously, saying, "I'm not sure I can allow you to be here…"

"You can't heal your own teacher?" I retorted. I was annoyed at how long I had to wait. "Granted, I'm not welcome in this village but surely you can assist one of the most trusted men in the Leaf."

She gulped, exuding negative emotions, "O-Okay…" Sakura scanned the hospital lobby before hesitantly touching his neck. Her eyes widened and she gave me a hurried expression, "There's a heartbeat… A really faint heartbeat."

My heart skipped a beat. I stood up and raised my voice saying, "Then help him! Help him please!"

Sakura nodded and clasped her hands onto his chest, a clear emerald colour radiating off her palms, beginning to do her work. My eyes never left my brother's face. I awaited a sign of life to come from him and I prayed that everything… would just be over.

* * *

**Kakashi**

A glowing fire lit and warmed the bodies of my father and I. We sat on old stones in an isolated place, no light was found except the one that the fire exuded. What was beyond the darkness was unknown. My father stared at the orange flames, watching the wood collapse in the heat.

"So this is death, huh?" I mumbled.

He gave a soft smile. "I wouldn't have thought that we'd leave so early… Not as early as your mother though."

"Now all that's left is Nerine," I sighed.

"Nerine…" He repeated. "She was far too young to even remember her mother. She's all alone now."

"She's proving that she can be capable of herself," I thought back to how she made her own decision in abandoning the Leaf. "Nerine wasn't always the top student now was she…?"

"How did she go in her studies?"

"She struggled. She's no prodigy, that's for sure."

"Surely she's grown in skill by now. She must be what… fifteen? Sixteen?"

"For a fifteen year old, she sure has become rebellious."

"Every teenager is. That doesn't mean she can't become an excellent ninja."

I gave him a glance, and turned back to the fire. "Nerine joined the Akatsuki."

His expression turned from hearty to cold. Father looked heartbroken as he gave a heavy sigh. "Why?"

"She wants to save her comrade," I explained in ease.

He took a few moments to understand what I just said, and he just gave a quiet chuckle. "Nerine will be okay."

"You were always saving comrades instead of following the rules… Why didn't you just conform?" I asked, leading to his death. "If you just listened to everyone, then you wouldn't have been shunned. You wouldn't have been so miserable…"

"I didn't know… you must've taken it hard, having to look after your sister after I chose to leave."

"It was."

Father was pained to know that he'd caused me trouble over the years, even when he wasn't around. I added, "But I know you did your best. You and Nerine are alike in subtle ways, and it's helped me understand what you did. I'm proud of you, father."

His smile grew and he radiated a sense of relief and happiness. "Thank you, Kakashi."

I then felt a warm tingle starting from my back, rapidly spreading to the rest of my body. I conveyed a bright emerald throughout my figure.

"What's going on!" I slightly panicked.

"Maybe you're not to pass on so quickly," My father calmly answered. He lifted his head and smiled, "Take good care of yourself, and your younger sister."

I blinked, and the surroundings of the campfire to the stones vanished. I opened my eyes once more, and found myself facing daylight outside. I lay against the cold cement of some rubble. The first thing to snap me out of my fatigue was a pair of thin arms to wrap around my neck.

"You're alive!" A young voice cried.

"Nerine…" I recognised her immediately. "You're here…"

Amongst the chaos of the Leaf Village's situation, all I could focus on were the tears of my sister falling onto my shoulder.

* * *

_A pretty short chapter, so I'm sorry for not having much :( Please review though, I would appreciate it so so so much._


	21. Chapter 21

"You've become so beautiful."

"No… Stop saying such things."

He touched her cheek with his fingers, pushing parts of her hair behind her cold ears. Her cheeks heated at the soft gesture.

"Why should I stop stating the truth?"

"Itachi…" She pushed her bottom lip out in a stubborn manner. "You really don't…"

"I do," He smiled, moving his face closer to hers.

Their lips met; a passionate lock was created. Their clothing shifted on their bodies, her hands held onto locks of hair and his tightly squeezed her tiny waist. Her heavy sighs increased as he kissed her neck. They joined once more in a fervent embrace. Once letting go, she gave another gaze of adoration towards her lover. Her eyes widened as she recognised the figure who grasped onto her.

"Sasuke?"

* * *

**Nerine**

My breath was caught in my throat, and I woke up immediately. I blushed as soon as I reminded myself of the sudden dream I had. Itachi and I were kissing… until I realised it was Sasuke… My heart pounded at the idea of being so full of lust with either of the Uchiha brothers. Then I remembered the day Sasuke and I lost control in Orochimaru's hideout. Certainly… It wasn't regrettable.

I took a deep breath as I woke myself up. It was still night, with the obvious lack of daylight. I shared a tent with my brother after the destruction of the Leaf. It was surprising to see how much Naruto had grown, because he'd saved the entire village by confronting Pain on his own… Even the number one knucklehead had raced past me. I could see where Sasuke was coming from when he had an issue of Naruto's strength.

The village had celebrated and crowned Naruto as the hero of the Leaf. I admired the greatness that he had become, and Sakura acknowledged that publicly as she hugged him in the crowd. Not many people realised I had returned as I didn't announce it widely. When I wanted to consult Tsunade about me coming back, she was in a coma. It was because she had sacrificed herself to save and heal every member of the village… Something I could never do.

A majority of my old friends have yet to see my face back in town, and I dreaded their reactions. My brother was fully healed in no time, but he was not very happy with me. If I could recall, he lectured me about leaving the village.

"_Do you understand the circumstances that you not only put yourself in, but everyone else?"_

"_I do… and I'm sorry, Kakashi…"_

"_Sorry isn't going to cut you abandoning your home. Do you have any idea how pained I was over all this? It was a burden!"_

"_I know…"_

"_You're going to have to deal with the consequences of your actions, Nerine."_

"_Yes…"_

"_I can't believe you would simply leave everyone like that. It was incredibly selfish and reckless; you should know that well enough."_

"_Mm…"_

"…_But I'm really… happy you came back."_

I smiled at the memory of him transitioning from angry to relief. It was a good feeling knowing that my brother wasn't too mad at me. It gave me a small feeling of hope that maybe… everyone else would be relieved too that I'd returned. A majority of my mind said that they would shun me for eternity, just like what happened with father.

I stood out of my bed and took a walk outside, keeping quiet for my sleeping brother. I walked down the main recovery area of the Leaf. A long train of tents were set up, along with resources of wood, tools and aid kits. Everyone in the village was well on their way to rebuild the place, as well as allies from other countries. During the day I quietly assisted in gathering items and building, avoiding many other familiar faces.

Many people were already asleep at this time of the night, only a few wandered out, either still working on rebuilding or simply bonding with comrades. I walked down the long arcade of tents and unfinished sites. It wasn't a shock to see that Ichiraku Ramen was rebuilt again in a matter of days. Naruto must've been the one to make a head start on it. I lifted the head curtain and smiled at the owner.

I wondered if he remembered me. I counted on it that he wouldn't, but…

"Oh… I haven't seen your face around here for a long time, girly," He mustered an old chuckle.

I felt touched that he did. "Y-Yes… It's been a while."

"Come and sit here! Have a bowl – It's on the house!" He immediately began to prepare a hot meal for me.

"You… You really don't have to, grandpa," I protested. As soon as he ignored my objections, I hesitantly took a seat down.

He passed the bowl in front of me, warning me kindly, "Be careful, it's still hot."

I took some chopsticks and stared down at the steaming soup of ramen. "Thank… you for this meal."

It was a slow and steady consumption as I felt the warmth of the food go through my body. It was more than just a meal. It was that familiarity of the Leaf returning to me. It was the symbolic happiness that the Leaf gave me. It was the welcoming arms of my home.

"Eh? What's wrong, dear?" The owner was startled at me.

"Huh?" I looked up, not realising I was crying. I sniffed up my runny nose and wiped my tears with the back of my hand. "Oh… This ramen is just really delicious." I gave a weak smile.

"Well," He gave me a smile of pride. "The ramen here is always here for you to have."

I gave a light chuckle, my smile growing widely. "Thank you, grandpa."

"Old man!" A loud voice boomed behind me. "I can't sleep! How about a round for the hero of the Leaf?"

It was Naruto. He took a seat and glanced at me. "Oh, I didn't realise there was another person here…"

I faced directly at my bowl, not making eye contact. I let what was left of my hair to hide my expression. "That's okay. I'm very small so not many people do notice my presence."

"I still think you can be noticed in a good way," Naruto grinned. "Old man! Beef ramen please!"

The owner nodded in a bored routine and began making his ramen.

"Say, do I know you from somewhere?" Naruto asked me.

The owner froze in his actions and turned around, confused. "But I thought you two…"

I sent him a quick look of silence and he took the message, turning around and continuing with his work.

"What was that, old man?" Naruto was confused.

I felt like I held my breath and turned to face my old friend. "It's been a long time."

Naruto's normally goofy face turned serious. He'd grown in maturity over the years and I never noticed. I must've overlooked his growth. "N-Nerine…" Naruto mumbled. "Why are you here?"

I shrugged, looking at my bowl of food. "When I saw Kakashi dying at the feet of my former leader… I realised that I'd been doing everything wrong."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he glared at me. "You…"

I expected him to scold me for abandoning everyone, as my brother did.

"Why didn't you return quicker?" He asked.

"Eh?"

"I know… You left us because you wanted to get closer to Sasuke, didn't you?" Naruto looked sad as he said this.

Hesitantly, I nodded. "I was too selfish to think about my friends. I wanted to chase my own desires of capturing Sasuke… but my vision was tainted the longer I was gone."

He shook his head. "We all want to have Sasuke back. You chose a different path but we're after the same thing… I don't hate you for that, Nerine."

"You don't?"

He shook his head with a small smile. "Even with Sasuke… I haven't seen him in months and I still believe that he can return to the Leaf safely," Naruto turned towards me. "I never gave up hope in you, Nerine. I knew that you'd come back to us – not because you don't belong in the Akatsuki, but because you still have that Will of Fire in you."

His smile stayed as he began eating his fresh food.

"Naruto…" I began. He glanced at me with a mouth full of noodles. "I can see you becoming the Hokage…"

"Eh!" He choked on his food, coughing loudly after I said this. "Really?" He gazed, his eyes getting wider by the second.

I smiled. "You're really growing up, Naruto."

Naruto gave a cheeky smile and quickly finished off his food. He gave a sigh of satisfaction and told me, "Now that you're back, we have even better chances of having Sasuke return!"

I remembered Sasuke's newfound ordeal with the Leaf village. "Yeah…" I felt unsure.

* * *

I finished my meal at Ichiraku Ramen, and continued my way down the streets of the Leaf. Soon enough, I found myself standing at the edge of what used to be the village. It was a deep crater of vanquished homes, lost treasures and old monuments. I took a seat as I stared at the deepness of the basin, seeing how much damage Pain had caused.

I looked up.

"_So many stars… Maybe I was too busy staring straight ahead to take a look at my surroundings." _I thought.

I'd done so many sighs at this point that I was concerned if I was exhaling too much air. I felt like… I was missing something. I knew what it was, but I did not want to admit it. Wherever I went, I always had an empty void in me.

With the Akatsuki, my home village was missing. With the village… Someone was missing.

Itachi? Sasuke?

Which one, I wonder?

My hand found a small stone. Grabbing it, I threw it into the pit I sat on the edge of. A few seconds later, I heard a small thud, and saw a cloud of dust rise at the impact.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Why can't I just be at ease…?"

"_Maybe it's because you're too attached to somebody."_

"I'm not attached…"

"_Be it Itachi or Sasuke, they're stopping you from having happiness… or they're what you need for happiness."_

This was the ultimate truth, and I couldn't hide the fact from my own mind.

"Nerine," I could hear my brother's voice approach from behind me. "What are you doing out here?"

"I had a nightmare," I replied, giving him a reassuring glance.

"Nightmare, huh…" He sat down beside me. "Before you would want to sleep in the same bed as me if you had a nightmare."

"I guess I'm growing up," I murmured.

It was quiet for a long time, until my brother spoke up.

"I have something to ask you," Kakashi told me.

"What is it?"

"What happened when you were gone?"

My lips curved upwards at the many moments I'd encountered. "A lot of things."

"You came across Sasuke, didn't you?" Kakashi stated this as if it were an obvious thing.

"If you already knew, why bother asking?" I breathed.

"It's okay to just say what you're thinking, Nerine."

"It's stupid to."

"Hm… If we never spoke our minds, we would never make any progress, would we?"

"I'm fine, Kakashi."

He scoffed lightly. "It's like it is taboo for you to speak about love around me."

I flinched. "I…"

"You still love that Sasuke, don't you?"

I gulped. "Actually…"

"I don't think Sasuke would neglect you so easily, considering how he treated you when you were younger… But at the same time I don't think you should keep your hopes up for him."

"Kakashi… There was another person… but… I don't know…"

"Another person?" Kakashi sat up properly, growing his attention. His expression turned that into shock. "It's someone in the Akatsuki… Itachi Uchiha?"

"Is it bad…?"

"But we all heard Sasuke killed him…"

At that sentence I choked, and stifled a hard laugh. I covered my mouth with the back of my hand and allowed the tears to fall. I've been crying so much lately, it's painful.

"Nerine…" Kakashi realised what he'd said.

I continued to laugh off the pain, giving my brother a smile. "Kakashi," I sobbed. "I don't know what to do."

"What do you want the most right now?" He asked me simply.

I was silent, until I thought of an answer. "I want things to be back the way it should be."

"Nerine," Kakashi sighed. "Chances are things won't go the way we want. The best thing we can do is move on. I know you're not as stubborn as Naruto so I can trust you to do what you can, right?"

My mood lowered even more. "You're telling me to forget about them."

"Not… necessarily…" He continued. "I just don't think you'll be happy when you're not with the person you love."

"So… how on Earth can I stop thinking about them?"

Kakashi paused, perhaps not thinking of a motive to go through with during this conversation. "I know."

"What…?"

"To forget an old lover, you can find a new… maybe better person."

* * *

_Ah I tried working quicker for a longer chapter this time, because I know the previous one wasn't very good. I also don't know if it was too dramatic because I was listening to the Shippuden OST so I kinda went all emtional haha. So please let me know how I went, writing longer chapters. If I get good feedback, I'll try making longer chapters! So please review._


	22. Chapter 22

**Sasuke**

"Tell me, Sasuke," Suigetsu spoke as we travelled through the thick green forest. "What do you plan on doing in the Hidden Leaf, specifically?"

"Destroy it," I replied, not bothering to turn around for him.

"Well yeah," He gave a sarcastic tone, "But you simply can't just waltz in there and push down the buildings without having everyone stampede on you."

"Hn," I scoffed. "I'm not as reckless as you believe me to be."

We reached a town not too far from the Leaf, and I ceased travelling.

"We're stopping here," I ordered the three followers of mine. We paced into the insignificant town of unimportant citizens. I led the group into a mildewed and old inn. I glanced at them, making sure they stuck with me. I then turned to the elder woman by the desk. "One room."

I didn't have the luxury to spend my money for four separate rooms. Pained as I was, we all had to share. By the time we got settled into the large room, Suigetsu already took the opportunity to set up a futon for him. Karin did the same thing, just not as eager as the boy. Jugo gave me a hard stare.

"What is it, Jugo?" I returned the same expression.

He shook his head and looked at the ground, "It's nothing." He grabbed a futon from the storage cabinet and proceeded to set up his bed.

I sighed, turning away from the easily tired members of Taka. I opened the window and from the second floor, I could see the distance needed to get from there to the Hidden Leaf.

"_It's only a matter of time."_

* * *

**Nerine**

"Nerine," My brother called me over, interrupting my work on a restaurant. As I walked to him, he stood with a smile on his face. "I have some work for you today."

"But I'm already rebuilding this restaurant," I replied, hoping his task for me wouldn't be as laboured.

"Well you can take a break from that," He nodded. "I need you to assign missions to the genin teams. A majority of the jounin, including their teachers, have been busy organising all the important documents lost in the attack, so no one has been around to keep the genin in order. I already volunteered that my little sister can do the duty as a part of her community service for betraying the Leaf." That last sentence dripped with a hint of anger.

I gave my brother a hesitant smile and apologised. "Okay… I'm sorry Kakashi, I'll do it."

His resentment went away as he heard me accept the task – not that I really had much of a choice. "Great!" Kakashi said. "Don't worry; I was sure that you wouldn't have to stack all of the papers against yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I peered at him.

He shrugged. "Just go to the office tent now, okay?"

Listening to him, I brought myself to the main office tent. It was one of the largest tents in the village, for its main purpose being somewhat of the Hokage's office, only there was no Hokage. I entered, many bustling jounin filled the office, gathering important material on the village and sorting it all. I didn't know if I had to ask someone about my job, or if I had to wait for someone to locate me.

"Nerine?" Someone caught my attention with my name.

I turned to my right and saw Shikamaru standing with a face of disbelief. "Shikamaru…" I gasped.

"You're in the village…" He mumbled. "You're not an infiltrator are you?"

"No!" I put my hands up in defence. The thought never occurred to me. "I've returned for good."

"I don't believe you," He bluntly said. "I won't trust you until you've been dealt with by Ibiki."

The name rang a bell, making me remember where I'd heard the name. Ibiki Morino, the man who held the first round of the Chuunin Exams. He was also the officer for Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force. I hadn't been confronted by him yet, but I guessed after speaking with Shikamaru, he'd tell Ibiki.

"Fine… Believe what you want," I shrugged hopelessly. "I assure you I don't want to hurt the village any more than I already have."

"Whatever," Shikamaru sighed. "What are you doing in the main tent?"

"Kakashi sent me here," I replied with caution. "He told me I'd be sorting out the genin with somebody."

Shikamaru's face turned sour and he grunted, "Damn… What a drag."

I caught on quickly, saying, "We're working together?"

"I knew I should've told them that I was busy," He sighed, not bothering to conceal his disappointment. "Well we'd better get this over and done with. Take all of the paperwork on the genin and meet me out at the assembly area. I'm going to go gather the kids."

I nodded as he gave another huff of regret. I walked to the file cabinet and began piling up all the files for each genin team. I moved past the older ninja in the tent and lugged the papers down to the assembly. The assembly was normally in front of the Hokage's office, but since the destruction, it was now allocated to an outsized region in the village, not too far away from the office tent. I was alone when I reached the place, so I put the papers down on the ground and began sorting them.

It wasn't too long until Shikamaru arrived with a group of young teenagers. I gave a hesitant wave as he approached me, and I was glad to see that he acknowledged it with a slight nod.

He crouched beside me and mumbled, "Listen… my bad on the attitude earlier. I'm just pissed off with the Akatsuki and your involvement with them wasn't helping… but the fact that you're back changes my opinion on you."

I couldn't help but feel relieved at his statement. "That's great."

"Only a little," He gave me a sideways glance.

"That's all I need to know then," I smiled. "Let's just… form a truce until I've been interrogated."

He agreed and we began to organise the genin teams. Shikamaru began commanding the genin for missions and I recorded the details in a new folder. I came across some familiar faces such as Konohamaru and his team.

"Nerine?" Konohamaru's naïve voice called my name excitedly. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

I looked up from the text I was writing and saw him look straight at me with a big grin. "Konohamaru…" The first thing I noticed was our height. "We're the same height."

"Ah," He rubbed the back of his head in modesty. "Yeah I've been getting pretty tall!"

His team members, Moegi and Udon stepped out from behind him and they looked astonished to see my presence. "Nerine? I haven't seen you in months!" Moegi spoke.

"I've um, been kind of busy. Missions… you know." I lied through my teeth.

"Well the good thing is that you're here!" Moegi smiled. I guessed no one told them about my abandonment towards the village. It made me feel glad.

"I'm happy to be back," I murmured, feeling nostalgia with this encounter.

Shikamaru turned to me. "Well I think we're almost done with the genin. All that's left is Konohamaru's team," And he gave them a glance.

He cleared his throat as he straightened his posture, conveying his authority over them. "Team Ebisu. For the duration it takes to rebuild the village, you will be in charge of maintaining the service at the nursing home."

"Wha— you mean we have to look after old people until the village is complete?" Konohamaru groaned, his original positive attitude lowered at the sound of his mission.

"Not necessarily the entire time. Just until your teacher has finished his work with all the other jounin," Shikamaru shrugged.

"That's totally not fair!" He protested. "I want a better job! I want to boss people around like what you guys are doing!"

"This isn't exactly a glamorous job either," Shikamaru grunted as he nudged Konohamaru's head.

"At least it gets you two alone time," Moegi winked.

"Huh?" Both Shikamaru and I shrieked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shikamaru growled.

Moegi was startled and said, "You mean… you two aren't…?"

I profusely shook my head from side to side. "We're not like that, Moegi…"

Konohamaru exhaled, "I'll make you guys pay for giving us a job like this… All you guys get to do is give orders and flirt with each other."

"What? Flirt?" Shikamaru was getting riled up. "There is no flirting! Go and look after the elderly!"

Shikamaru pointed for them to leave and they ran before they annoyed him even more. "That's the last of them…" He sounded comforted now. Shikamaru gathered the paperwork and said, "What are you going to do now?"

"Uh," I considered going back to the restaurant that I was rebuilding. "I might help rebuild some more stuff… Where are you going?"

"Well I'm heading back to the office tent to hand these documents in. After that... I don't know."

At that point of the conversation we were both expected to take our leaves, but we only stood there, as if there were more things to say. I took the initiative.

"Don't listen to what Konohamaru and Moegi were saying," I said. "They're reckless with their words sometimes."

"I know that," He sent me a weird look. "It's obvious we're not doing any flirting or are together in any way."

"Right," I nodded.

"Besides, there's no room for me when you're still after that Sasuke," He scoffed.

My smile faded. My heart sunk at the sound of his name. "If I were still after him, I wouldn't have returned."

Shikamaru stared intently. "Nerine?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my gaze. "Oh, right. Actually I'll help you sort those documents at the tent. There's got to be at least a hundred in there, right?"

* * *

Nerine and Shikamaru organized the files of the genin in the village and after an hour or two, they officially handed it in and were commended for their hard work. Shikamaru lifted the tent entry for Nerine, allowing her to pass through with ease.

"So you're going to rebuild the village now?" Shikamaru asked the small girl.

She shrugged, "Its already dusk, I don't know if they're still building the restaurant or if they've done for the day… I'm pretty tired already though."

"Then get some energy," Shikamaru shrugged. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh," Nerine felt like he was asking her to eat with him.

As innocent as the question was, Nerine gave it deep thought. If she accepted to spend some personal time with Shikamaru, she would be taking a step away from Sasuke and Itachi. If she didn't, she would be still in the same place. Nerine had to choose if she wanted to move on, or keep attached.

Which decision would be the best choice?

"Yeah. I'm starved," Nerine smiled.

And a flash, Nerine could already see the chain that was cuffed to a man's hand, crack and break into pieces. Freedom. She'd be moving on.

Shikamaru smirked as he led Nerine to the infamous Ichiraku Ramen, where many of their friends came to dine. After ordering two bowls, Shikamaru turned to his friend.

"I know well enough why you left us all, Nerine," He commented. "But why did you come back?"

"Like I told Naruto," Nerine lifted her shoulders and stared at the ceiling to avoid Shikamaru's stare, "The Akatsuki crossed the line when I saw Kakashi getting killed by them."

"I guess that makes sense… But you can't blame me for not trusting you."

"That's fine. I understand, since the attack and everything…"

The pair ate their ramen in pauses and short conversations.

"How's your focus going?" Shikamaru asked after he slurped up some noodles.

"What?" Nerine was confused for a few seconds until she remembered what he was referring to. "Oh… Uh, I'm getting better at concentrating. I'm trying not to let other issues matter when in battle…"

"You know I'm always here to help you with that," Shikamaru mumbled under his breath, half-hoping she wouldn't hear him.

She nodded, "The last time I asked for your help with that… Sasuke dragged me away."

"It was that day that you two became… you know," He cringed.

Nerine smiled slightly at the memory. "It's too bad, huh?"

Shikamaru was indecisive about what to say for his following words. "I think things could have turned out different that day."

"How could it have been different?" Nerine thought of different situations that could have been on that day. "You mean Sasuke could have not asked me out?"

"What else?"

"I never thought of things like that. It's weird thinking about Sasuke and me not being together."

"I should've just taken you to the library straight away. If I hadn't mentioned our plans, that Sasuke wouldn't have butted in."

"Who knows…?"

* * *

"It was nice to spend time with you again," Nerine gave Shikamaru a smile. "And thank you for buying the food… I'll make it up to you."

"It's no problem," Shikamaru looked down to face her. "Maybe another day we can get your short hair fixed up. I can probably get Ino or something, if it's not a drag…"

"You don't have to worry about my hair, I'll get it fixed in my spare time," I protested.

"Well it's up to you but I'm just insisting," Shikamaru said. "Just being the gentleman I was raised to be."

Nerine chuckled. "I think you have a bit more to go in being a gentleman. Last time I remember, a good gentleman doesn't call things a 'drag'"

"Eh, I'm working on it," He threw a playful smirk at her.

After their laughter died down, Nerine said, "Thanks for dealing with me today. I'll see you around."

"Uh, yeah," Shikamaru almost tripped on his words. "Thank you. I mean, you're welcome. I mean, yeah… see you later…" His cheeks heated up only subtly as he recounted his sentence.

Nerine said goodbye to Shikamaru and walked into the tent, expecting her brother's presence. "Kakashi?" She called. It was a small tent, but it was dark too. She turned on an oil lamp and it only gave out a dim light.

Nerine worked with what she had. She didn't realise how quickly the day went by, seeing it being almost midnight. Maybe she spent too much time with Shikamaru… But it was all for a better tomorrow, right? Nerine stood at the side of her bed, grabbing her pyjamas that were left folded at the end of her bed sheet.

Ever so slowly, she untied the bow at the back of her neck, which essentially held the rest of her dress.

"I should probably get some new clothes…" She mumbled to herself as she scanned the tattered fabric. "Tomorrow then."

Her dress slipped down her frail body with ease. Nerine was well aware of how small her body was, having experienced several occasions where people called her a midget. She had no disability of the sort, she was just born as a miniscule person.

Nerine gave a big stretch as her dress landed on the ground. Her ribs poked through as she did. She stared at her bones and added, "I should probably eat some more too… No one likes a bony girl, huh…"

The thought led to Shikamaru, and if he'd be interested in a tiny girl like her. Nerine was pushing out the attachments she held with Sasuke and Itachi, choosing to move onto a brighter future.

"Shikamaru probably doesn't like scrawny girls like me," Nerine shook her head.

"I wouldn't say you're scrawny… you're just petite," A velvety voice spoke from behind her, their breath hitting the edge of her neck and shoulder.

She froze, feeling a pair of masculine arms snake around her bare waist, one sliding up towards her bra and the other down to her underwear.

"I…I…" Nerine's breath was caught in her throat.

She could feel the person smirking as his body pressed harder against hers.

"You can't…" She shook. "Sasuke…"

* * *

_I think the beginning kind of foreshadowed the ending so... a bit of an anticlimax maybe? Haha, please please PLEASE, review. I know lots of people are reading this.  
__I'd like to thank a few readers who have been reviewing every chapter - it means so much!  
A. Alice-LaCasse, Ryuu Clan and Jestie Uchiha. There are lots more but I don't want to go on and on. Please review!_


	23. Chapter 23

Sasuke's cold and callused hands roamed Nerine's skin with little or no consideration of what she wanted. Nerine shook as she felt him touch her. He made her shudder effortlessly and that irritated her. Nerine couldn't find what words to speak to explain how she felt and what she wanted to know. Sasuke took the silence as an opportunity to turn her around.

He brought his fingers to the silver hair that hung by the side of her face. "It's short now," He commented, brushing it away to see her clearly.

She sent him a glare and said, "Pain chopped it off when I turned against him."

"So what Madara told me was true," Sasuke sighed. "You really did return to the Leaf."

"I have enough sense to know what's wrong and what isn't. That's something you don't have."

He smirked, "Am I supposed to be hurt?"

"I don't need you here, Sasuke!" Nerine growled. "You've hurt me enough in the past. I can find happiness in other people, like Shikamaru. At least he isn't willing to kill anyone that is close to me."

His smirk faded and he lifted her chin, bringing each other's gazes to another intense level. "Do you really think you can get away with this?"

"With what? Moving on with my life?"

"Tch," Sasuke let go of her chin roughly and nudged her head to the side. A feeling of regret washed over him as he turned to look away from the young girl.

"Why are you here, Sasuke?" She asked quietly. It was a subtle and short-lived change in her attitude.

Sasuke answered distantly, "You're making a mistake returning to the village."

"Really?" Nerine scoffed, crossing her arms. "If I can recall correctly, if I didn't return, I would've gained a dead brother. I am not going to turn out like you."

He shot a glare at her. "You're going to return right where you started, you know. You're useless in Konoha."

"That is definitely talk that makes me want to run off with you," Nerine shook her head. "Why are you trying to keep me away from my village?"

Sasuke eyed the girl. She stood with an angry aura and her crossed arms conveyed her uninviting attitude towards him. Despite her negative attitude at him, her near-naked body made it difficult to take her seriously.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head; a sense of superiority was given off. "You are no good without the power of a rogue ninja."

She was offended. "I'm capable of gaining power by myself."

"No, you're not," He pitied her for her superficial confidence. Once again, he took a hold of her chin, carelessly this time, and he had the urge to tease her. "Who took you under his wing? Who trained you to who you are today? Who changed your strength?"

Nerine's eyes went from aggressive to vulnerable in an instant. Her cheeks were pressed together by Sasuke's abrasive fingers so much, it almost felt suffocating. "Why did you have to bring him up…?" She murmured.

"Despite the fact that he's done so much to help you," Sasuke began, "You were after me first."

Her reflex of a blush took over and she muttered, "That doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Sasuke's possessive instinct began to kick in at that point. "I'll show you why it matters, Nerine."

Still keeping a tight grip on her face, he lowered his arm to trace the outline of her figure. His fingers followed the bumps of her slightly detectible ribs, causing her to inhale nervously at the touch, and all the while she still glared at the depths of his eyes. She flinched as soon as he reached her navel and she rushed to grab his arm. Sasuke swiftly avoided her hands and pulled her into a close embrace.

He no longer kept a grasp on her chin, instead, his arm wrapped around her neck and his palm comfortably rested on the top of her head. Nerine's hands shook as she was pressed against him tightly. Sasuke shifted his position and suddenly brought his arm behind her small knees.

Nerine yelped as she was lifted into the air and by impulse, she held onto Sasuke's shoulders for support. He laid her on the bed they stood next to for so long; so inviting, it was. The last time they were together on a bed, Sasuke had thrown her down so hastily that everything seemed like a blur, perhaps not even real. This time around, he was relaxed.

Sasuke lowered his body right above her, only a few inches of space separated them. Nerine's heart beat rapidly. Sasuke's slow pace made Nerine feel tense and anxious. He finally made a move after a minute of watching her squirm in bittersweet contempt. He moved his head near hers, and Nerine had the reaction of a kiss. She almost expected his lips to touch hers with the distance between the both of them. She inhaled a small amount of breath as she gave a subtle pout. Her eyes were closed and she waited, and waited.

After ten seconds, she opened her eyes, and saw Sasuke still looking at her. Nerine felt embarrassed and looked away. She saw him smirk before she turned and so abruptly, she felt a kiss on her neck. Just as she was about to react, Sasuke pinned her arms down by the sides of her head, and continued to graze his tongue over her collar.

Nerine gasped and yelped as he sucked her skin. Tears brimmed her eyes as she reddened further. It felt so good, yet was so wrong. She resisted by trying to move her arms. Although she did become stronger, she was not strong enough to move Sasuke. She shuffled her legs from beneath the Uchiha, a sign she was trying to give for him to let go. Only a little longer did he continue this. Sasuke not only osculated her neck, he ravished further downwards to her chest, his tongue outlining the edge of her bra.

He took a glance at Nerine, who was now on the verge of crying with a blush obvious from metres away.

She looked so unbelievably defenceless with her situation; Sasuke could not help but say, "Cute."

Nerine attempted to glare at him and mumbled, "Why do you do this to me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's smug look disappeared as he saw how distraught Nerine was. He exhaled a puff of breath as he let her arms go.

"Because you're mine."

Sasuke moved to the foot of her bed as he watched Nerine cover her eyes with her forearms. She shook her head as she whimpered in desperation. It was a while until one of them spoke.

"You don't want me to touch you," Sasuke observed, a cold expression falling to his face.

"No, I…" She mumbled, still covering her vision. She lifted her arm slightly to peek at the man. "It feels good…"

He felt a sense of pride when she said those words. With a glint of sharpness in his eyes, he said, "Do you want me to touch you?"

Nerine hid behind her arm once again when he asked that question, much to Sasuke's disappointment. He enjoyed making eye contact with the confused girl, especially when she was overtaken by his charm. Whenever she did fall into the pit of lust for Sasuke, it was difficult for her to get angry at him again.

She mumbled, "You shouldn't even be here…"

"I want to destroy the village," He replied. "But before I do, I have business to tend to."

"You mean you want to fuck me before you kill me," Nerine scoffed as she had her logic return to her mind.

He scoffed as he brought his hand to her milky thin thigh. He slid it upwards ever so slowly, Nerine falling stiff as he did so.

"Is that so bad?"

Nerine slapped his hand away and sat up, edging away from him immediately. She gulped as her image of Sasuke was distorting itself.

Before she could even defend herself, he grabbed her ankles and pulled her back down on the bed. He crawled on top of her and had a power grip on her wrists, surely leaving a bruise the longer he held. She frantically tried to push him off by kicking and jerking her body, and just as she was going to call for help, Sasuke clutched onto her mouth to mute her. Her yells were as good as nothing with it coming out as mere mumbles. She bit down on his palm, watching his expression turn from cool to only a little irritated – no matter how hard she did chew on his hand.

After a minute of her struggling and constant attacks on his hand, he let go of her mouth. He wiped the saliva on his shirt, giving her a disapproving look, but then his expression changed to satisfaction.

"At least now I have a free hand."

"What? No!" Nerine shrieked, hoping her screams for help could be heard from the outside. "Help!"

"Tch," Sasuke clicked his tongue as he ripped a part of the blanket roughly and quickly wrapped it around her head using his free hand and his teeth, making sure it was difficult for her to speak. Nerine felt she was being choked as she was gagged. She cried again, looking at the person she used to love.

Sasuke spread Nerine's hesitant legs apart and placed himself between them, checking her reaction every second. She shook her head profusely as she felt something firm rub against the edge of her thigh, moving up to her private area. Her muffled protests grew in volume as he neared it.

He kissed her chest, licking the edge of her bra again, this time exposing her breasts by taking the piece of lingerie off. Nerine's eyes widened as she was exposed to Sasuke more than ever before.

"_I'm going to be raped…"_ That was the only thought that ran through her mind.

"I always knew you were small," Sasuke muttered as he studied her. "…Yet you're still faultless." His eyes met hers as he said this, making her heart skip a beat.

He attacked her breast with his lips, wrapping his arm around her waist, lowering it down to her ass. He gave it a tight squeeze; an inescapable quiet moan came from Nerine's wrapped mouth. Sasuke could hear this, and continued. The more he did this, the more Nerine's screams turned into secretly wanting whimpers. He moved his urging hand to the front of her hips after a while of groping her.

His hand touched the hem of her underwear, only teasing her. Sasuke looked up at Nerine and she had so much hesitation in her face, but he could see the lust that hid behind her eyes.

"Do you want it?" He asked her with a stoic expression.

Nerine's salty tears absorbed into the blanket that held her voice in. She shook her head. _"After this, I'll be dead. I'd rather die a virgin than killed as a whore."_

"Really?" Sasuke looked unamused, knowing what she really wanted.

She shook her head again. Sasuke reached for the cloth around her lips and pulled it down, allowing her to breathe and speak, although she could not find a moment to talk because she was then occupied with Sasuke's forced lips against hers.

Nerine kept her mouth shut to prevent any sort of tongue action, but Sasuke bit her lip. She yelped from the pain and was foolish enough to let the Uchiha slide in. She would have easily bit his tongue off, but something restrained her from doing it. It was desire. She stifled a sigh at the back of her throat as the make out heated.

Sasuke let go of the kiss and stared at her. It took two minutes until Nerine couldn't take the silence anymore. She lifted her head and kissed him again, even if she knew it would end in the worse possible scenario.

He let go of her wrists. Nerine could feel blood rush back to her fingers and pain throb in her carpals. Despite this, she rushed to snake her arms around his neck, keeping the kiss hold longer. She wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing them closer than ever, what with the bulge she felt chafing against her.

They eventually gasped for air, and Nerine said, "You screw with my mind too much, Sasuke…"

He simpered, "It's my specialty."

Nerine used one of her hands to zip down his shirt. Sasuke grabbed her wrist rashly and pulled it away.

"What…?" Nerine's eyes were questioning.

Sasuke sat up again and hid a smug look from the young girl. He shook his head as he stood up, zipping his shirt to cover his visible torso. Nerine stood on her knees on the bed, shuffling over to Sasuke. She tugged on his shirt with a bewildered look on her face.

He glanced over his shoulder when Nerine asked, "What are you doing?"

"You're still a naïve girl," Sasuke said, looking at how easy it would have been for him to have sex with her, seeing her topless and anxious.

She dropped from her knees to the bed, a big frown developing as she did. "You…" Her fists were clenched, anger bubbling despite her shameful situation. "Why do you keep doing this to me! Why don't you leave me alone!"

Sasuke faced her with no reaction to her objections and said, "Because you're mine."

She looked up with surprise from his sentence. "…Huh…"

"And I'm not going to do anything with you until you realise that I'm yours too."

"What?"

Sasuke brushed her hair out of her face and said, "That's the only reason why I came here."

"But—"

He lifted her chin higher to meet eyes. Sasuke's vigorous behaviour in bed diminished and his cold exterior returned. "Understand that you're not anyone else's but mine. Not Kakashi's, not Shikamaru's… Not even my brother's."

Nerine wanted to say something… anything, but she didn't know what to say.

Sasuke could easily see that she was at a loss for words. He let go of her chin and stepped back, a small flame sparking at his feet. The flames travelled up towards his body, making him disappear the more it ran up; Sasuke was transporting. Nerine felt the warmth of the flames against her body, and she urgently looked at him, wanting this warmth to stay.

"I'm sure there'll be another time where we'll go further than we did tonight."

The last thing she saw from Sasuke was that infamous smirk of his.

* * *

_It was a bit difficult to write in so much detail about making out... Sorry if it was too much :( It's now 1:30am and I have work in the morning noo! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please review! It means a whole lot to me._


	24. Chapter 24

**Kakashi**

"Thanks for your hard work, Kakashi," One of the newbie jounin smiled gratefully at me after I had helped him with his documents. He did seem troubled as he sorted through the amount of papers, so I did what any good villager would do and assisted him. I just hope he gets used to the strenuous work that jounin have.

"It's no problem," I waved my hand. "I'll head off first."

It didn't occur to me on how long I was working with that young boy, because when I came into the office tent, it was only midday. Now it had to be midnight. I took a look around, seeing many buildings being formed quickly. The village was attacked not that long ago, but the villagers made the best out of a bad situation and all rebuilt the place. It was amazing to see how quick our progress was. I could tell, it wouldn't be long until Nerine and I would have our apartment back.

Speaking of Nerine, I wondered if she had returned to our tent after working with Shikamaru. It was intention to have the pair work together for the day. Shikamaru always had a small crush on Nerine since they were little, but Nerine was completely oblivious to it all. If anything, I did Shikamaru a big favour. I just hope today was enough for Nerine to change her mind about Sasuke and Itachi… I can't have my little sister involving herself with men who aren't going to do good for her.

I'm sure if I set the pair up more often like today, Nerine will eventually fall for the right type of guy. I smiled at the thought of Nerine having a safe future with Shikamaru. My face went grim as I imagined what sort of ordeals she went through with Sasuke and Itachi. I shook my head as I walked to our shared tent. Nerine shouldn't have to deal with so much hurt.

After mindlessly wandering around the village-in-construction, I finally made my way to the front of my temporary home.

I lifted the entrance flap and called out my sister's name, "Nerine, I'm back."

I barely noticed her tiny frame on her bed. My eyes widened and I didn't know if I were to help her or turn away. "N-Nerine! You're…! Shouldn't you put some clothes on?"

My sister didn't move, I peeked and saw her sitting on the sheets, fists clenched, expression anguished. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. My hands dropped, and as I avoided looking at her chest, I walked over to her.

"What's wrong, Nerine?" I mumbled under my mask.

Nerine bit her lip and she looked pissed off. She looked as if she was holding back her tears in front of me, and she stared the heck out of the ground. "S…" She hissed. "Sa…" Before she could mutter out the next syllable, she burst into sobs.

"Sa?" I echoed. "Sa…" I repeated quietly under her crying. "…Sasuke?"

Nerine's expression was heartbreaking to see. I grimaced, "What happened?"

"Sa… He… was here… And he… then he… and now he just left…!" She stifled with a hiccup in her voice.

"He was here? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because he was…" She stopped her sentence and I could see her face reddening.

The pieces were put together well enough after that without her having to say much. "Did he…? Don't tell me!" I angered.

She shook her head and her cries had turned into sniffles. "We…" She couldn't finish that sentence when she realised who she was talking to. She cringed and mumbled, "Didn't…"

I gave a heave of relief and said, "I don't think you should be thinking about him. It seems like every time you do, you end up hurting."

"I know that much…" She breathed quietly. "It's just so difficult."

I sighed, "I'm going out of the village with Naruto and Yamato for a while. It's hard to say when I'll be back but… I need you to stay here. No matter what you hear, I forbid you to leave the village without my consent."

Nerine grimaced and eyed the bra that was on the floor not too behind me. I followed her stare and picked it up, letting her cover herself. My eyes stared at the ceiling of the tent as I listened to my sister while she changed.

"Where are you going?" She asked me quietly.

I couldn't let her know that where I was going was even a little related to Sasuke. Because of Naruto's persistence, we were to find the Fourth Raikage, and ask him to pardon Sasuke's actions. He wanted to kill the Uchiha after his jinchuuriki brother was kidnapped by him. Naruto, as usual, wouldn't allow this.

If Nerine found out, she would either hurt from the mention of Sasuke's name, or prove her self-worth and urge to come along with us. It was doubtful that we would even see the rebellious boy but Nerine's attitude was changing. She wasn't as timid as she used to be, and she wasn't responding as a pushover anymore.

"Just getting some resources for the village," I lied. I gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about anything. Just focus on getting the village back together while I'm gone."

Nerine didn't say anything straight away, just simply stared past me and sighed. "Be safe…" She murmured.

* * *

"Shikamaru," Nerine greeted her friend.

He turned around and faced the short girl. It had been a few weeks since her brother left the village with Naruto and Yamato, so Shikamaru felt like it was his unofficial duty to look out for her, even if she doesn't need one. Or maybe Shikamaru just wanted to be around her.

During the past two weeks, Nerine's appearance had changed. Hinata had helped her find some new clothes to replace her tattered and dark dress. Although she went through many stores to find some fitting attire for Nerine, the small girl ended up wanting to wear the flak jacket with the rest of the shinobi uniform. Hinata was only a little disappointed when Nerine wanted to wear something so default, but she didn't mind the moment she realised she looked more and more like her older brother.

Nerine also had her hair cut properly, so it wasn't lopsided anymore. It was evened out now and it had gone shorter, from her shoulders to her neck. It was a neat bob and it made her look even more like a child.

"Nerine," Shikamaru nodded and approved of her outer adjustment. "I like the look."

She shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't stand being in that dress again," She thought about where Sasuke had touched her in that dress. "It was too…" She gave a grimace and didn't finish her sentence.

Awkwardly, Shikamaru continued the conversation. "Well your hair's pretty nice."

"Thanks," Nerine patted her head down and stared at the ground in embarrassment. "I look like a kid though."

"Don't think of that as a troublesome thing," Shikamaru shrugged.

Nerine nodded as she walked around Konoha with him. She brought up a topic she'd wanted answers about for a while. "Did you get any news on my brother?"

Shikamaru's expression turned morbid, knowing the fact that he couldn't tell her any news relating to Sasuke, or rather, he didn't want to. He replied, "I have no idea. He must be coming home soon though."

"It's been a long time for a mission so little. Collecting resources for the village shouldn't take so long."

"Don't worry about him so much. He isn't as troublesome as you make him out to be."

Nerine huffed and felt like she shouldn't be okay with an answer like that. "Fine, fine…" She mumbled with a little irritation.

"Shikamaru!" A chubby figure came jogging towards the pair and when he reached them, he panted lightly. "Everyone's talking… we're waiting for you to join us."

Shikamaru sent Chouji a glare, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Shikamaru motioned towards Nerine subtly, to let him know that he wasn't alone. Chouji looked regretful and tried to think of excuses.

"What's going on?" Nerine asked.

"Nothing…" Shikamaru replied as he attempted to salvage the mess Chouji started. He rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "I've got to go now so… I'll see you later."

Nerine had a handful of questions in mind to throw, but Shikamaru turned away at that point and followed Chouji.

* * *

"Shikamaru…" Ino murmured with a pained expression on her face.

Shikamaru reached Konoha's 11, and immediately felt distraught when he saw the faces of his comrades. He knew exactly what this was about.

"Sasuke's been involved with the Akatsuki, even after defeating his brother," Neji spoke up with his arms crossed.

Amongst this heated discussion on Konoha's rogue ninja, a young girl had to fulfil the satisfaction of her need to know what everyone was talking about, and why she wasn't invited to join. Amongst the piles and piles of wood pillars, she wouldn't have been seen if she hid somewhere nearby. She crept up behind the edge of the pillars, keeping an intent ear on their conversation.

"Sasuke's recklessness will cause us to be involved in a war," Neji continued. "His almost kidnapping of the Eight-Tails will not be taken lightly."

"I am well aware of that," Shikamaru replied, sounding irritated. "And it seems like there's no choice but for us to get rid of him in order to maintain the peace."

Ino immediately burst into tears as soon as she heard this sentence. "Why, Sasuke?" She cried.

"Naruto is in the Land of Iron right now with Kakashi and Yamato. We'll have to let him know of the official order," Shikamaru said.

Sakura's voice, though slightly wavered, sounded confident. "I'll take that responsibility."

"I have a question…" Chouji began, "Why isn't Nerine allowed to know any of this? It's not like she's as reckless as Naruto."

"You have no idea, Chouji…" Shikamaru groaned quietly. "She has no chance up against Sasuke and we can't afford to get her near the Akatsuki again. She's prone to be swayed by her emotions."

Nerine's fists clenched tighter the longer she listened into this talk of Sasuke.

"And Kakashi asked us all personally to refrain from mentioning anything related to Sasuke to her." He finished.

Nerine felt belittled as people had agreements concerning her behind her back. Furthermore, her own friends had the need to 'protect her' from things she needed to know. Somehow, it was alright for Sakura and Ino to hear news about Sasuke, but not Nerine?

She was annoyed.

Nerine kicked the dust and walked away before they sensed her presence. She stormed to her tent and grabbed a bag, packing everything she needed as well as in her flak jacket.

"I can't believe Kakashi still needs to baby me," Nerine grumbled, "I'll show him how much I've changed."

Nerine was a great example of irony, unfortunately.

* * *

"Nerine, sorry for ditching you this afternoon," Shikamaru called out to her tent. As he lifted the tent's flap, he faced emptiness as dark as the night seemed.

"Nerine?" He called again. He felt a sense of panic rise within him.

Shikamaru ran out, and rushed to Chouji. "Have you seen Nerine?"

"Nerine?" Chouji repeated, "Wasn't she waiting for you after our discussion?"

"She's not at her tent…"

The pair began searching the village; Shikamaru hoped that Nerine was simply in one of Konoha's districts, and not acting upon what she could've possibly heard. Within the hour, Shikamaru had gotten the help of the Konoha 11 to look for their responsibility.

Alas, Nerine was gone.

"Shikamaru…" Tenten panted. "You've pushed us all to look around every inch of the village, even the perimeter… She's not here…"

"Shit…" Shikamaru swore under his breath. "She could've overheard our discussion on Sasuke."

"We would've sensed her presence, though," Chouji replied.

"We're talking about a girl here who was able to sneak into Orochimaru's hideout to confront Sasuke," He grumbled, "At least, according to what Naruto told us."

"So we can't rule out the fact that she could've gone after Sasuke herself," Lee commented.

"Or if she's gone to confront her brother," Neji added coolly.

"So, what do we do?" Chouji asked.

"We don't have any proper leads on her. Even if we did, it would take days for us to reach where we think she might be, and even then, she could have moved on to another location," Shikamaru said, irritated at the situation.

"So… we wait…" Tenten sighed.

Shikamaru shook his head, "Let's just hope she makes the right decision…" Picturing Nerine in the arms of the Akatsuki once more pained the chuunin; he did not want her to leave again.

* * *

Sakura stood by the edge of the destroyed Samurai Bridge. She spotted Sasuke across the large gap that was tattered during a fight.

"Kill her, and then I'll believe you," Sasuke commanded with a confident voice. If Sakura did as she was told, he would believe that she wanted to join him. Karin lay on the concrete ground, waiting for her fate. Kakashi was tailing her closely and Nerine…

Nerine was already standing beside Sasuke.


	25. Chapter 25

**Nerine**

"Sasuke," I called his name, knowing that he wouldn't bother hurting me.

He turned around, seeming to know who it was already. "That was quick."

"You think that I'm here for you?" I growled. "I am here to prove a point."

"You need no proof to show that you are weak without mine or the Akatsuki's help," Sasuke smirked.

My eyes trailed down to a lifeless body that collapsed near the wreckage. That red hair was familiar. His former teammate? What was he planning on doing with her?

My eyes crawled back to Sasuke's and I said, "I'm not going back."

"Then why are you here?" Sasuke's smirk disappeared, looking more and more peeved as the seconds ticked by.

I clenched by fist. Why was I here again? To prove to my brother that I didn't need to be taken care of? To prove to him that Sasuke didn't mean a thing to me?

If Sasuke didn't mean anything, then why was I standing right by him?

I mumbled, "Because everyone in the village thinks I'm weak."

He scoffed. "It's not so much of a thought as it is a fact."

I hissed through my teeth, "They believe that they should protect me from you. They think that I cannot handle myself around you."

Sasuke was solemn. "You can't."

"Yes, damn it, I can!"

"Is that why the last time I saw you, you were almost naked with your legs wrapped around me?" Sasuke tilted his head knowingly.

My eyes widened, and my anger boiled even more. "You took advantage of me."

"You know what it was," Sasuke replied. "Nerine, you may question your abilities and the people around you constantly…"

I listened to see where he was heading with this. I lifted my head to get a better vision of him.

"But you already know the answer."

His hands sparked, signalling that his chidori was well on its way to attack. I took a cautious step back, and touched the pocket that held my kunai. Sasuke gave me a serious glance before facing his former teammate on the ground. Just as his hand was charged up, a familiar voice screamed.

"Sasuke!"

My eyes followed the sound of a girl's desperate cry, as did Sasuke's.

"So it's Sakura…" His voice sounded menacing, tougher than with me.

"Nerine…" I heard her murmur, looking taken aback.

"S-Sasuke! Let me join you! I will abandon the village like you!" Sakura pled, regaining her composure after seeing me. "Please! I've always regretted not going with you ever since you left! I'll do anything…"

My eyes squinted as I observed the girl's behaviour. This wasn't said during the discussion in Konoha… What was she playing at?

"Hn," Sasuke demanded, as he took a glimpse at his weak teammate on the ground. "Kill her, and then I'll believe you."

My eyebrows furrowed. Was Sakura capable of doing something like that? To simply kill? She looked troubled. Sakura brought herself to our side of the bridge and stared at the vulnerable redhead. She sent me a livid stare, as if she was asking me, 'why are you here?'

"What will you do, Sakura…?" I mumbled under my breath.

"The question is; what will you do, Nerine?" She glared, grabbing a kunai hastily.

I stepped back as my defences went on, and I'm not sure where Sakura was about to land her hit, but something distracted me to know.

"Sa—!" I gasped as I saw electricity spark through his hands; he made a straight segue towards Sakura's body. He intended to kill her…

Before his chidori made contact, a silver blur jumped his arm and his attack had missed. Sasuke escaped the clutch of my brother's sharp strings with his substitution technique. His real form jumped down from the large tree that loomed above us and I felt a firm arm grab my waist before my stomach dropped from the high jump that Sasuke took to distance ourselves from Kakashi.

"Sasuke!" I yelped as I struggled out of his arms.

"Nerine," Kakashi glared, "I specifically forbade you from leaving the village, no matter what you heard."

My anger resurfaced and I growled, "Why? Why, brother? Forbidding me to leave the village is your way to protect me? Furthermore, 'protect'? I never needed protection, Kakashi. I don't need to have the entire village speak about me behind my back… Do you know how humiliated I felt?"

"I was only doing that to stop you from getting hurt," Kakashi replied, clearly grieving over the situation he found himself in. "The Uchiha's bring you nothing but trouble, Nerine."

I was in disbelief. I seethed, "And I suppose the Uchiha's bring you all kind of gifts?" He knew well enough that I was referring to his Sharingan. I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

Kakashi looked surprised – I don't think he would've thought that I'd pull on such a sensitive topic.

"That's enough. Come back, now," Kakashi demanded; his aura radiated anger and solemnity.

I took a step back. "I don't know if I should."

"You are being too influenced by Sasuke, Nerine. You have to realise that whatever I do for you, I only do to keep you happy!" He yelled.

My chest sunk. "Then why aren't I?"

Kakashi was stunned and Sasuke scoffed in the background. "Nerine isn't happy because she is without me… Kakashi."

"Sasuke…" Kakashi seethed. "I'm not going to let you cause the Leaf more trouble than you already have. I'm putting an end to this."

"You act like you can fight me," Sasuke smirked. "I've been itching to kill you, Kakashi."

"Wait…" I mumbled. "Wait, don't do this!"

* * *

The once calm river under the large bridge was jolted so much by Naruto and Sasuke's attacks; the force of their signature moves created a strength that was enough to push the former Team Seven in all directions. Kakashi saved Naruto from hitting the rocks and Zetsu sprung out of Sasuke's back and cushioned his hit against the cliff's wall.

I, on the other hand, had no sort to save me. It opened my eyes. Kakashi wouldn't hold my back, and Zetsu sure didn't see why he should protect my fall. My body flew smack bang, right into the cliff's jagged rocks. I yelped in pain as I felt a crack in my rib, only hoping nothing happened to my spine. I fell right back into the river's waves and struggled to use my chakra to stand upright.

I groaned, "Damn it…"

Suddenly, a strange vortex appeared in thin air, and Madara's body formed within seconds.

"Madara…" I winced and held my rib.

He glanced over at me and said, "Oh… So you've returned?"

Naruto talked and talked about his friendship with Sasuke, and Sasuke only returned with remarks that questioned his motives. Sasuke was in disbelief that Naruto would hold onto him so tightly, and Naruto only smiled.

"Naruto… I'll take care of this," Kakashi walked forward as he stared at me; his Sharingan still activated. I stared right back, and after a few seconds, I spoke.

"Kakashi," I began. He looked at me upset. Silence filled our atmosphere as everyone waited for my turn to speak. "…You don't need to protect me anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kakashi replied hurriedly. "You're really leaving me?"

I shook my head. "I'm always with you. But we have our own battles to fight."

"Nerine…!" Kakashi shouted my name almost desperately. He averted his gaze from me to Madara. His Sharingan changed form as he wanted to get rid of the Akatsuki member.

Madara lifted his hand to signal Kakashi. "Don't bother with that, Kakashi. It won't work on me." My brother was taken aback as Madara placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Let's go, Sasuke."

"Take her with us," Sasuke commanded.

Madara sighed as I looked over at him with caution. "Very well."

"I'll be speaking to you later, Madara," Sasuke growled as our visions distorted whilst we teleported through the black hole.

The last thing I saw from that river was again… my brother's face, heartbroken as it was before.

* * *

"Nerine," Sasuke called my name. I lay atop of the abnormally massive bones at the entrance of the Akatsuki hideout. These remains arched over the entry of the lair, and its height made me feel tall. So, here I was once more.

I stayed here for hours on end whilst Sasuke spoke with Tobi. Who knows what about though?

"Your rib," Sasuke stated more than questioned. "You haven't treated it."

"It's fine," I mumbled. "I put some bandages on it."

"An internal wound won't be fixed with external dressings," He looked up at me from the ground. "I'll get it fixed."

"By who?" I scoffed. "There's no one here who has any knowledge of healing. I shouldn't have acted so thoughtlessly. I could be getting healed by Sakura right now."

"You shouldn't regret your actions when you clearly wanted to do them anyway," Sasuke sighed. "Still as indecisive as ever."

"I'm not indecisive!" I protested, wanting to desperately change from my old ways. "I'm just… I don't want to hurt anybody."

"But you have," He replied, "And it's clearly too late to fix things."

I glared at the cocky boy; his eyes only gleaming with broodiness. "Kakashi… he wanted to keep me away from you."

"I know. You knew better than that though."

"Is that so?" I sat up from the uncomfortable hardness of the carcasses, ignoring the piercing pain of my own cracked torso. "What do I know?"

Sasuke lifted himself off the ground, and sat beside me with ease. "You want to be around me."

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

"You make reckless decisions when it comes to a person like me," He smirked. "And I think you enjoy it."

I punched his shoulder and furrowed my eyebrows. I didn't know what I could possibly say to comeback at his remark. I simply struggled my way down the skeleton and made my way into the hideout, hoping I could simply go to an abandoned room and sleep for the rest of my days. I didn't want to fight against my brother, nor did I want to agonise over the Uchiha's absence.

I found a spare room soon enough; it was damp and morbid, as the Akatsuki usually is. The bed's wrinkled and dusty sheets were untouched from my last visit. It felt unclean to have to touch the grimy covers again. I picked it up anyway and shook whilst I held my breath, allowing the dust particles to fly about in the room. I regretting the motion as soon as I realised there was no window to let the air out.

Nonetheless, the sheet was more or less suitable to be used, so I took off my heavy flak vest, shoes and set a candle on with a match. I let out a big sigh as I lay in bed.

"Just let me sleep forever…" I whined.

* * *

Sasuke watched Nerine limp into the darkness of the cave, hearing her mutter under her breath how irritated she was. She sure had changed from being the pushover she used to be. Sasuke smirked at the thought of her changing attitude towards everything. He found it amusing, at least.

Not long after she had trudged into the hideout, Sasuke followed her. As he went down the hallway, he could hear the door click shut not too far away.

Inside, her muffled voice droned, "Just let me sleep forever."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he heard this. He stood outside her door for a few minutes, and then quietly opened it. There she was, without her vest and her shoes, quietly breathing as she slept. Clearly, she wasn't alert enough to know when someone was in the same room as her; certainly not as sharp as Sasuke was.

He walked over to the side of her bed, kneeling to be almost eye level with her. He stared at her diminutive features, her lips were apart as she inhaled and exhaled small amounts of air. Her eyebrows furrowed constantly as if she were having a nightmare, and her nostrils flared every now and then, to which Sasuke scoffed at. Nerine's expression was pained while she had trouble breathing. He grimaced.

Why was he so concerned over this young girl?

Why was Sasuke always holding onto such a reluctant person?

Did he still have feelings for her?

Well, of course, there was no other explanation for it.

What held him back, was his own brother. Sasuke closed his eyes as he thought to himself. Had he not left the village, they would be together. If he didn't, he wouldn't have found out the truth, and he would have been stuck in the very home that killed his entire clan… unaware. Yet, his decision was to leave everything behind. The events that hit him had taken him aback; Nerine's intimacy with Itachi, her decision to be with the Akatsuki… her choice to choose him over the Leaf Village. Sasuke did in fact, feel a pinch of guilt when he saw the influence he had over Nerine, but at the same time, he was subtly glad that she lay in front of him today.

Nerine wasn't the only want stuck in a rut.

Sasuke's eyes trailed down from her face to her torso. He reminisced the moments he had with that certain area and felt smug that she was quite willing in those situations. Her helpless expression always drove Sasuke on but it could be considered concerning that he felt even more ravenous towards her every time she hesitatingly gave in.

Slowly, Sasuke reached for the loose navy shirt that hung over her tiny frame, and tugged it upwards. He uncovered the messily made up bandages around her ribcage and frowned when he saw her exhaling a large amount of air and only inhaling a little. She must've been in a lot of pain.

"Nerine," He finally spoke in the silence.

Nerine groaned quietly and opened her eyes. She squinted in the dim room, looking as irritated as she was before. "What?" She weakly questioned. She glanced at her exposed stomach and glared at him.

"Sit up."

"Leave me alone…" She grumbled as she buried her face in the mouldy pillow.

Sasuke didn't listen to her remark and grabbed her arm. "Sit up now."

Nerine peeked at him and saw his usual brooding demeanour. She seethed as she steadily sat up on the bed, every move stabbing her lung. Sasuke then pulled the sleeves of her shirt off her arms.

"What are you doing?" Nerine asked, still half asleep, her hair sticking up.

Sasuke replied, "You won't heal quickly if you bandage your ribs like this. You need someone else to do them properly."

Grudgingly, Nerine allowed Sasuke to pull the shirt over her head. Sasuke continuously glanced at her nude bra while he threw the shirt onto the bed. He unrolled the bandages slowly, being careful to not cause any pain. Nerine's concentration grew the longer Sasuke touched her, feeling sparks as his knuckles grazed on her skin every now and then.

By the time the bandages fell off her, she was fully awake. Sasuke re-did her bandages tightly, occasionally stealing a look or two as his hands essentially wrapped around her body. Nerine could not help but blush as Sasuke knelt near her chest.

"It's done," Sasuke said. He looked up at her and immediately she averted her gaze. "Next time you ask me to do this. If you kept it like this, it would've taken you months to heal. You've got enough chakra to recover… maybe a week."

Nerine sulked, "…Thanks."

She stayed in that position for a while. Sasuke smirked.

"You're not going to put on your shirt?"

Nerine's eyes widened and she quickly seized her top. Sasuke tilted his head. "Were you expecting something to happen?"

"No," Nerine snapped. "I'm just—"

Sasuke leaned over Nerine, causing her to almost fall back onto the bed. Her arms kept her up. "I wouldn't do anything while you're injured like this."

"Uh…" Nerine's eyes had enlarged even more with this confrontation.

Sasuke stared her eyes down, until he closed his own, facing down. His eyebrows wrinkled and he heaved a sigh. "Nerine…" He opened his mouth to continue his sentence, but he didn't know how to say it.

Her eyes followed his movements as he openly showed his frustration. Sasuke stood up from being so close to her figure.

"Tomorrow I'll be with Madara. Don't look around for me," Sasuke ordered, leaving the room hastily. It was completely the opposite of what he wanted to say. His tongue had twisted refused to speak such words.

He was troubled over such simple words.

Such simple words; that he was serious about her.

* * *

_I know I've been away for a while, but it would mean a lot if you lovely readers would take the time to review! It means a whole lot and only takes a few seconds. I know you're out there ;) Thanks for reading!_


	26. Chapter 26

Nerine had been cooped up in the Akatsuki's hideout for at least a month or more, and she was growing angry at everything, furthermore, herself. She blamed herself for everything she had been feeling at that point; her frustration, her loneliness, her insanity. Thoughts passed her mind, if she didn't leave the village, she'd be picking up everyone's minor duties as she used to… and she thought that maybe it wasn't so much of a bad idea. By then, she would not be accepted back into the village. She had tossed her decisions wildly between her hands that she had never thought to foresee the consequences that would be thrown at her. Now, this solitary confinement surrounded her and she could see no escape.

She'd not seen Sasuke for days, however when she did, they barely spoke. Sasuke's icy demeanour intimidated her slightly so she didn't bother to initiate a conversation. Sasuke's one word responses did not encourage her greatly. Nerine was unsure where his sudden cold shoulder came from but she sure did not like it.

Nerine walked down the corridor of the hideout, finding the passageway that led to the sparring chamber. If she was going to be kept away in such a morbid area, she may as well train. When she went down a few stairs, she was deep underground. It was barren, unsettling and dark. Nerine turned on a few lights and they flickered from the lack of maintenance they gained.

A hiss filled the room, along with a brooding voice that chilled Nerine to the bone.

Nerine's defences turned on ten thousand times than it already were.

Grabbing her tanto, she growled, "Come out now!"

"Do you honestly think you have a chance against me?" The owner of this voice stepped out of the corner's shadows and revealed his form; such a familiar person… Nerine couldn't put her finger on it.

"Who…?" She murmured to herself.

"Ah…" He smiled. "You don't remember me? Or you don't recognise me… Nerine?"

This man's messy grey hair framed his face, as did his thick round glasses. Glasses? Nerine only knew a handful of people who wore glasses, especially like the ones this man wore.

"Kabuto…?"

Kabuto's smile widened eerily as he muttered, "So glad that I wasn't forgotten."

"What are you doing here?" Nerine yelled across the sparring area.

"You're not aware?" He questioned. "I was given the idea that you'd know what was going on."

"What are you talking about?" Nerine spat.

"We're waging a war, Nerine…" He told her sweetly. "Against all nations."

Nerine's body wavered and her voice almost cracked. Her hands found it troubling to grip onto the tanto so tightly, almost dropping it to convey her surprise. "You… You and what army?"

"This is the Akatsuki we're talking about," Kabuto smirked. "And my power… You'll be in this too."

"No… I am not going to be in a war that'll be bound to be lost."

He scoffed, "You say that now…" Kabuto began to take steps towards the entrance of the room. "I doubt you'll be refusing when Itachi will be there fighting with us."

Kabuto brushed swiftly past the still Nerine. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name and her eyes broadened at the thought of Itachi being with her. Her breath was short and her chest made thumps that only she could hear. Before Nerine could turn to ask questions that filled her mind, Kabuto already took his leave. His smart move was to make her think about the alliance she had with the Akatsuki, and it was safe to say that it worked well.

Kabuto was a clever man, who manipulated easily with his boost in confidence. To bring Nerine into the battlefield would be like bringing a treat for a dog. He questioned how far the Konoha shinobi would go in order to save a former comrade.

* * *

Sasuke's ego had risen to an all-time high as he sat up from the operation table. He could not sight a thing, yet he could see the aura in himself grow stronger.

"I can feel it," He said, a smirk was planted on his jaw. _"I can feel your power, brother."_

Madara sighed, camouflaging his content in his work. "It took a while… but it's yours now."

Sasuke wanted so much to test his new power. "Let me go."

"Not yet, Sasuke," Madara ordered. "You need to rest. That took me too long for you to use it straight away. You don't buy a fish and let it jump into your tank straight away, do you?"

The young boy muttered, "Tch" and replied, "Fine." Sasuke stood up and relied on his senses to guide himself out of the damp room and into the hallways of the hideout.

"_I'd better find methods to restrain that boy. He'll be the reason my plan fails if I don't control his recklessness_." Madara groaned quietly at the thought of having to control another shinobi, and a stubborn teenager at that.

Sasuke stepped slowly down the hallways of the Akatsuki's hideout. He could tell, and he came to that decision on whether or not he should speak to Nerine. She stood at the end of the long corridor. As far as she was, it felt like she was right beside him, and it made his stomach sink. He could hear her begin to walk, the rhythmic tapping of her footsteps synchronised with the beat of his heart.

He heard her stop in front of him. He was unsure of what to do; he felt awkward since he hadn't spoken to her in almost a week. He assumed that was why she was about to confront him.

Sasuke began to excuse himself, "Neri—"

"Why didn't you tell me there was going to be a war?" Nerine choked.

He shut his mouth. He was well aware of what Madara wanted to do and he didn't object it.

"Well!"

"I don't have time to deal with your reactions to these things, Nerine."

"No, Sasuke!" Nerine yelled. The cork was about to pop from the bottle. "I am tired of hearing you tell me that you can't deal with me. I am tired of seeing you ignore me because of reasons I don't even know. I am tired of not knowing anything at all!" She breathed at the end of her sentence. "Just… talk to me."

Sasuke almost wished he could take off the bandages that wrapped around his eyes, just so that he could look at her and give her some form of an expression; to tell her that she didn't need to worry about anything.

"I am going to destroy that village we called 'home'," Sasuke answered. "You are free to fight or not."

"But why…?" She murmured. "…Itachi…"

He flinched at the sound of his late brother's name. "What about him?"

Nerine looked up at him quickly, not realising she had spoken his name aloud. Her fingers touched the rusted ring that never left her hand. On days she'd forget it even existed, on others it was the only thing she'd notice. After Kabuto's sudden appearance, Itachi weighed her heart heavily. She stared at the ring and studied the kanji it beared, 'Vermillion'. She never understood what it meant; nevertheless, she never took it off. It was a birthday gift she never wanted to part with.

"He…" Her tone lowered and one would have to be a fool not to acknowledge the sadness in her voice. "If he were here…"

"He isn't. But what I'm doing is for him," Sasuke refused to hear her speak on about him. It was partly out of jealousy and partly out of protection. He felt guilty being slightly resentful towards Itachi even after his death, and it was all for this girl in front of him.

"He wouldn't want you to be like this," She murmured.

This ticked Sasuke off. "You don't know him."

"Who's to say you know him!" Nerine yelled. "You've despised him half your life!"

"Tch," He grumbled, and brushed past her. "You know nothing."

Nerine stood alone in the hallway as the distance between the pair grew larger.

She turned around with clenched fists and gritted teeth and screamed out, "STOP FUCKING AROUND, SASUKE!"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks as Nerine confronted him in a manner he'd never felt before. Nerine was a pushover, a person who listened to her superiors and rarely made an objection. Somewhere along the line, she'd grown into this independent and sovereign girl over her life. It would be a lie to say that Itachi and Sasuke had not influenced her during that process.

Nerine hadn't uttered another word after she spat out her hate. Her heart was racing after letting out her energy. Before she knew it, one sob echoed throughout the corridor. She brought her hand quickly to her face to cover her tears before she ran through the maze of the hideout, looking for the entrance. Sasuke listened to her footsteps gradually speed up as she drew further away from him.

He leaned against the wall beside him and muttered, "Shit."

* * *

**Nerine**

I ran out of the hideout as fast as I could with a heart that weighed down my chest. I never planned on becoming so hateful towards Sasuke, nor did I ever foresee myself screaming at someone so callously. I regret sputtering such words yet at the same time, I thought he deserved it. He threw me around like a ball, as if I was okay with his ever changing mixed signals. Could he ever be clear? I was doubtful.

My feet slowed down as I reached the forest outside of the hideout. I kept on walking. I didn't know if I wanted to return after confronting Sasuke in such behaviour. I decided to keep on walking. I grew hungry and fatigued. Despite my unpleasant state, I still breathed in the fresh air and allowed my skin to absorb the orange sun. It had been a while since I felt the pureness of the Earth's air; being cooped up underground without light certainly took its toll on me. I listened to the leaves rustle and the birds sing its songs. I almost forgot my bleak situation and only thought about nature.

I didn't count the hours I'd trudged through the forest, all I knew was that it was dusk by the time I reached a small village. I stepped into its gates and was confronted by two men, assuming their positions were the entrance guards.

"Halt," One said, "Reason for entry?"

"Um," I mumbled, "Just visiting."

"We can't risk having strangers into our village. The war is coming soon and one can only be cautious at a time like this." He explained.

"I understand," I replied. "I'll be going then…"

I turned around and heard a sigh. "Come on," The other guard said. "She's just a little girl. What harm can she do?"

I looked back at them, about to defend my height with my real age. Then, the other guard rolled his eyes. "Ah… Fine…" He grumbled. "But you're going to get the blame if some form of danger comes to our civilians."

"Sure, sure," The other shook his head sarcastically and flashed me a smile. "Come on in."

"Thank you," I bowed and made my way in. I walked past the various restaurants and stalls. It reminded me so much of the Leaf Village, with its quirky genin and friendly citizens. The smell of freshly made okonomiyaki drew my attention and brought my senses towards it. I stood by a small restaurant with only a few customers eating away their savoury pancakes. I licked my lips subconsciously and heard a haughty laugh nearby. I looked up and the young chef gave me a grin.

"Hungry?" He asked me.

I smiled a little. "Mm…"

"Come on down! I'll make you one," He offered.

'_So friendly,' _I thought to myself. I sat down in front of the chef's post and watched him prepare the okonomiyaki craftily and quickly. As he placed it in front of me I thank him for the food. It was so warm, so good. Food back at the hideout was nothing compared to this simple meal. I wanted to savour it for as long as I could but before I knew it, I'd gulped the entire thing within minutes.

"You sure have an appetite, huh?" He chuckled. I blushed and realised I'd inhaled my food in front of a man not too far from my age. I didn't want to leave a bad impression.

"Sorry," I muffled with a full mouth.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He questioned me again.

I decided not to answer him and fumbled with my pockets to look for some change. "Ah…" I groaned as I realised I left all my coins at the hideout. "I'm sorry, I—"

A person hidden in a black cloak dropped a number of coins on the counter in front of the chef, taking me by surprise.

"…Well, it seems like you've got that taken care of," The chef eyed the man beside me. "Will you come back soon?"

"I—"

"No, she won't be," The person cut me off with a deep voice and left the restaurant.

I furrowed my eyebrows at the familiarity of the person's vocals. I sighed quietly as I stood up, thanked the chef and quickly followed the cloaked person. I grabbed their sleeve and they turned around.

I looked up at his bandaged eyes and breathed, "I…"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and replied, "Don't say anything. The reason I came out here is because it is getting dark and you must return, unless you want Madara involved."

Sasuke then moved out of my grip and continued to walk.

"Why are you like this?" I called out to him, regardless of the small amount of people still wandering the streets.

"I don't need to continuously look after you," He said, "I have my own business to take care of."

"If you don't need to look after me, then why did you come after me?"

He sent me a glare and didn't answer. He walked up to me and took me by the arm, swiftly transporting us back to the hideout. We stood underneath the large skeleton of the entrance and he made his way inside.

"I can't afford to waste time when the opportunity to reach my goal is in front of me," Sasuke said.

"Are you happy?" I looked at his back angrily. "Answer me."

* * *

"Answer me," Nerine's voice echoed down the large hallway of the entrance.

"I don't listen to orders," Sasuke replied, "Especially to people who are inferior."

Nerine growled and ran to his back, punching his spine harshly. Sasuke allowed it to happen rather than to block it.

"_Hate me," _He thought. _"I can't be attached to you. You can't be attached to me."_

Nerine hit his posterior nonstop; her cries of frustration gradually grew softer within minutes, until she eventually leaned her head against his back and exhaled a shaky breath. "You're a rollercoaster."

Behind his bandages, Sasuke scrunched his eyes and nose, enjoying and hating the contact he had with Nerine.

"Nerine…" He began, turning his head slightly to see her in the corner of his eye. "I can't."

She sniffled, "Forget about Konoha, forget about Madara, forget about everything." She murmured the last sentence, "Just tell me if you want me or not… So I'm not left in the dark."

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly and did as she said; he pushed all external thoughts around him. He then struggled to let out the following words, "I… don't need to look after you."

Nerine heaved a heavy sigh and back away. Sasuke took a hold of her hand before she left him.

"Nerine," Sasuke spoke firmly.

She refused to look at him until he said his next sentence.

"…I don't need to look after you… because I want to look after you."

* * *

_Really sorry I haven't updated in a while! I haven't given up on this story :) I've been hoarded with a great amount of assignments from school so I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review and let me know how felt about it! It would mean a lot if you did review! Thank you lovely readers._


	27. Chapter 27

"What do you mean?" Nerine seemed sceptical. "You 'want' to look after me…"

Sasuke turned around, assuming he was facing Nerine with the bandages around his head. "It means that I want you, Nerine." He forced his sentence out, feeling awkward having to say such words again in so long.

"You mean…" Nerine mumbled, her heart rate speeding up by the second.

"My motive becomes irritably unclear when you are in my mind," He grumbled, "When you're near or far. I want you with me."

"But you've been pushing me away so much!"

"I thought if you hated me, I would forget about you. You would not want anything to do with me, and I would be able to destroy the Leaf without being indecisive."

"Sasuke…" She whispered, taking another step back. She clutched onto her chest as her heart raced and her fingers grazed on the ring Itachi gave her. She looked down for a moment, reminiscing the favoured existence of her master, and then she turned her head up, looking at the almost vulnerable remaining Uchiha. He did want her with him. It could have been influenced by their history together instead of the present, although Nerine did not seem to care. No doubt, she had feelings for him, even with the constant irritation she has with his stubborn attitude.

Nerine took a deep breath and took her leap of faith. She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck with eyes shut tight. Sasuke caught her quickly and locked his arms around her waist. He lowered his head and inhaled a great deal of her scent from the crook of her neck, something he'd been longing to do. Sasuke hoisted her up even higher, positioning her legs to wrap around his own waist. Nerine grunted quietly as she rested her hands on his shoulders, she inched her face closer to his, breathing against his cheek.

"Somehow…" She murmured quietly enough so that no one outside their conversation could hear her, "I don't think this is an appropriate setting to be in a position like this."

Sasuke gave no reply, only an action which involved swift transportation from the barren hallway to a dim room. Nerine could only assume that it was Sasuke's room. Its layout was not much different from hers, perhaps tad larger and extra furniture, but other than that it felt like it was her bedroom. The candle on his desk flickered violently at the sudden appearance of the pair, still fixed in their position. Sasuke moved and placed her on his bed, for a third time since their first reunion. Nerine was the only one who could see everything at this moment and Sasuke was visualising everything in his head, although he had an excellent sense of direction.

"Do you want this?" Sasuke asked her, approaching her figure.

She replied, "It's been a long time since I've been so sure of something… The last time we were like this, you told me that I was yours. No," She interrupted her thoughts and confirmed, "I am yours."

Sasuke exhaled the smallest bit as he conveyed his relief. She concealed her smile as she felt safe again, after a long time of finding her identity.

It was then slow. Everything felt paced to the pair, every touch, every breath, and every movement. Nerine reached up as she touched Sasuke's cheek. Her touch brought his face down to hers and there, their lips met. It conveyed one thing; longing. The slightest friction against each other lubricated the longer they kissed. The bed sheets shuffled beneath them, their composure loosened as well. Nerine tried well in camouflaging her moans in the back of her throat as Sasuke wrapped his arm around her body, bringing her closer. He parted with her lips and met with her cheek, his mouth barely making contact with her skin.

Sasuke made no delay in removing her bulky flak jacket and the remainder of her clothes. Likewise, Nerine rid Sasuke of his attire, both stripping each article one by one. After two minutes of fumbling through different fabrics, they were down to their undergarments. Suddenly it was daunting to think of what they were planning on doing.

Sasuke said, "We're really…"

"It looks like we are," Nerine half smiled, although he could not see it.

Sasuke's lips met hers again; small pecks developed into deeper passionate kisses. Their tongues eventually intertwined after inviting each other in. Sasuke let go again and touched her neck, his tongue grazing over her collarbone and chest.

"Mmh…" She forced herself not to be loud.

"Do not hold back," Sasuke spoke quietly in her ear as he reached for her chest.

Over the bra, he cupped her small breast and massaged it delicately. Its size convinced Sasuke that it was fragile, and he wanted to take extra care of her body. He eventually unclipped her bra, with the help of her arching her back so that he could reach the hooks. Sasuke threw the bra on the floor and placed his hands over them, taking in its complete texture with his sense of touch. He lowered his lips and kissed her breast, kneading the other with pressure that developed as seconds passed by. Nerine clutched onto the bed sheets in desperation. Nerine didn't want to be heard but it was becoming difficult the more they progressed.

"Uwah…" She whimpered, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Her eyes closed as the sensation brought another feeling in her underwear. "Mm…"

Sasuke stopped and trailed his lips downwards. It was so relaxed, so gentle. Although his mouth left her breast, his hand continued to grope at her barely curved bosom. Nerine kept her legs tightly shut, squirming as his hands sent her wondrous perceptions. Sasuke stroked the edge of her panties, almost repeating the actions he did to her the previous occasion they ended up like this. Nerine shook her head, feeling nervous as she'd be exposed, although her partner was temporary blinded. Sasuke did not take off her underwear yet. He removed his hand from her chest and brought it down to feel her tiny thighs. They were toned, as a shinobi's legs ought to be; toned, yet somehow frail. Perhaps it was the measurements that made it seem that way. She either seemed to be a sickly woman or a much undeveloped girl behind his bandages. That didn't make him want her any less.

He kissed both her thighs that were so closed together. It forbade any entrance. Sasuke's hands roamed her legs and up behind her underwear. He slipped his fingers between the fabric of her lingerie and her skin. She gasped as Sasuke squeezed her ass.

"N-No…! Ah…" She protested lightly before becoming even more aroused.

"Relax," Sasuke murmured, feeling the obvious tension she had in between her legs.

Nerine was so hesitant at that point. Her knees trembled as she felt Sasuke rest his head on her thighs. She slowly attempted to open her legs, and when she felt Sasuke make contact with her inner thigh, she closed her eyes and reverted back to her previous position.

"I-I'm sorry, I…"

"Trust me," He kissed her thigh again.

Gradually, with Sasuke's help, he had spread her legs open. Nerine's blushed as unable to be contained, and she prepared herself with whatever he had planned by placing her hand over her mouth to at least control her voice, despite what he told her to do. At a slow pace, Sasuke place his head in between her legs. Nerine's chest pounded whilst she felt his breath on her crotch.

"S-Sasuke, I'm sca— Aah~! Oh…"

He osculated at her private area over her lingerie, feeling even more heated than he was before. He was incredibly in close contact with Nerine and her scent was driving him crazy not to pound her already. His kisses were deep and wet and it pushed Nerine over the edge as he used his tongue. His hands rubbed her petite posterior; one of his hands was removed and neared itself towards her groin. Nerine arched her back and gripped onto the sheets for dear life. She moaned, forgetting to minimise herself.

"Sa…su…ke~!" Nerine moaned. "Mmmmuh… Ah…" Nerine practically relied on her animalistic instincts and desired more. "Come here…"

He stopped and listened to her. He crawled over her panting body and she reached up for his neck, eager to push forward. Nerine initiated the kiss with her eyes closed. She felt his fervent attitude towards the situation and it persuaded her to continue on. She looked at his eyes, or in this case, lack thereof.

"…Sasuke?" She whispered his name.

"Hn?" One of his usual cold phrases said sounded so different then.

Nerine felt the layers of dressing that bind his eyes shut. "You can't take them off, can you?"

"No," He replied simply.

She sighed with a heart of regret. "I want to look at you. I want you to see me."

Sasuke didn't reply, he only returned a similar outbreath and lay beside her. They both knew they could not go through with it.

"It wouldn't have ended well," Sasuke commented, an odd effort to comfort her. "I didn't have any… I wasn't prepared."

Nerine's breath shook as she sighed, in an effort to calm her racing heart. Sasuke turned to his side and hugged her body closer to his.

He inhaled her scent from her hair and said, "I'm sorry. I got too ahead of myself."

She nodded, "We were both…" She blushed as her sentence trailed off. "Un…" Nerine bit her bottom lip and hesitated to ask her following question. She began, "Hey…" and then she paused briefly before allowing her words to run out of her mouth. "What are we… now?"

Sasuke simpered, "You are mine. I am yours."

Nerine struggled to hide the slant that formed her lips, so she hid herself into his chest and closed her eyes, hoping that when she woke, this feeling would still remain.

* * *

My arms stretched out as I gave a large yawn away. I arched my back and a satisfied smile came across my face as I finished loosening my stiff body. I turned to my side instinctively and found no one there. My grin disappeared as I scanned the room for Sasuke.

"Dream…" I sighed, "Stupid…" I called myself.

I sat from my bed and glanced at the candle, taking note that the last I had seen it was when it stood tall and sturdy. When I saw it then, the candlelight seemed to struggle to stay lit, as the remaining wax appeared to be merely hot water. It must've been a long time since I fell asleep.

I took myself to the shared bathroom took a long shower. After changing again, I stood in the corridor, outside of the bedroom door. I dreaded to meet Sasuke by chance in the hideout, feeling awkward considering the dream I had about him. I made my way down the hallway, leading myself to the entrance. Since I had nothing to do (again), I wanted to try and visit that small town again, maybe saying hello to that young chef at the restaurant. I saw I had no chance in finding happiness with Sasuke. I was too scared, too worried and too conscious of Itachi's death to have any sort of feeling towards his younger brother… as much as I secretly wanted it to happen. I stood outside and of course, saw Sasuke himself, sitting atop of the skeletal entrance of the hideout. I gulped, taking a quiet step back inside.

"Nerine," he called me.

"Uh…" I groaned under my breath. I stood with proper posture and waved nervous, assuming he was still angry at me for yelling at him yesterday. "Hello… Sasuke."

"Hn," he replied, jumping down from the bone structure above me. He stared at me intently when he faced me.

"_Maybe I should talk about my dream, that would be something to laugh about," _I thought to myself. _"Are you stupid? Do you not know Sasuke at all?"_

I exhaled as silently as I possibly could. He took slow steps towards me and then took the back of my head and pushed it towards his chest gently. My eyes almost burst out of my lids as he hugged me.

"It's already midday," He commented.

"Eh…" I murmured. "It wasn't… a dream?"

I looked up at him as he disguised his perplexed expression. "Dream?" He repeated.

I let out a small chuckle and shook my head, returning his embrace.

"It's nothing."

* * *

_I'm not too sure if this developed well enough... I was kind of out of it xD Please review? I know so many people read this but I don't know if you guys like it or not! So review plox_


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